Mutant Generation Force
by IceyLink
Summary: XMen take off leaving the school in the hands of Sam Guthrie and his former New Mutant teammates. This new staff will be forced to lead and protect the next generation of mutants. Issue 58 is now posted, plus a new Secret Mutant Back Up Story Part Three.
1. Team Roster

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Disclaimer:**

These issues are a work of fiction based partly on characters owned by Marvel Entertainment Ltd. These stories are not to be used for commercial gain, and are purely for entertainment purposes only.

The X-men have all been called away and Scott and Emma decide to put another group in charge of the school and students. They have gathered together the original members of The New Mutants and a few others to run the school in their absence. Together, without the aid of the senior X-Men, this new staff will be forced to lead and protect the next generation of mutants.

Main Cast/Staff: 

Cannonball aka Sam Guthrie: Headmaster and leader of the Corsairs

Psyche aka Dani Moonstar: Headmistress and leader of the New Mutants

Karma aka Xi'an Manh: Counselor and leader of the Alpha Squadron

Sunspot aka Roberto DaCosta: Business/Finance/PR and leader of the Mutant Force

Wolfsbane aka Rahne Sinclaire: Non-Power Physical/Self-Defense and leader of the Paragons

Magma aka Amara Aquilla: Nurse and leader of the Exemplars

Rouge aka Anna Marie Raven: Disaplanary/Detention and leader of the Hellions

Rictor aka Julio Rictor: Danger Room/Defense Training and leader of the Excelsiors

Siryn aka Theresa Rourke: Leader of Generation Next

Skids aka Sally Blevins: Administrator/Curriculum and leader of the non-squad students

Bishop aka Lucas Bishop: Tech/Security and co-leader of the non-squad students

Flashfire aka Rusty Collins: Phys Ed Teacher and co-leader of the non-squad students

Luna: Kitchen Manager and co-leader of the non-squad students

Lucinda Guthrie: Assists Luna and all staff with students

Supporting Cast:

Students at Xavier's

The School Squads


	2. The Game is Set

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #1 – The Game is Set**

_**The Astral Plain—A few years ago**_

The form of a very rough looking bald woman walks down a path leading to a giant black and purple castle. She knows where she is, but she doesn't know how she got here or what is going on. Last she remembers was fighting for her life and then all went dark. She then awoke here and has been walking this path ever since. Finally after all this time she has reached the giant castle she had first since in the distance when she had awoken.

She didn't know how much longer she would have been able to walk. She had felt very tired and she was very weak. Normally she would love a place like this but she barely had the energy to hold her form together. As she reached the castle she realized the door was bolted shut. She used what energy she had left and blasted the door open with her mind. She suddenly felt a presence calling her forward.

After what seemed like an eternity she found herself drawn to the dungeons underneath the castle. Here there were many cells, but only one seemed to reach out to her. As she neared it she realized that the cell was completely sealed with many chains and barriers setup around it. She could feel something calling out to her but was as weak as she was.

_Hello. Is anyone in there?_ Her question projected out, coming more form her mind then an actual voice from her thought.

_Yes, I am here._ She heard come from inside the cell.

_Who are you and why are you in there?_

_Let's say we share a common enemy that has also left me very beaten and weak. _

_Is that why you have been calling for me?_

_Yes, my dear we need each other. I have been here for ages barely holding on, planning my revenge. Then I felt your presence and before your PSI energy snuffed out I used the last of my energy to pull you here to this astral prison. Separate, we are barely living and fading away, but together we could finally get the revenge we are both longing for._

_Yes, I feel the truth in your words and since the power in your plan. What do you need me to do?_

_Open yourself to me and free me from this cell. Then the games will begin_

A huge smile appeared upon her face as her laughter and the dark laughter of the cell prisoner became one.

_**Somewhere in Kentucky—A year ago**_

An older man sat in a bar drowning his sorrow in tears. Time had passed, but he still couldn't get over the loss of his daughter. He wanted payback for what they had done to his daughter, but there was nothing he could do. He had been forced out of his hometown and sat here alone, powerless.

_You're not that powerless._

"What, who said that?"

"Said what? You're the only one in here. I think it is time to cut you off. People shouldn't be this drunk so early in the morning," the barkeeper said as he grabbed the empty glass form his only patron.

The man knew he wasn't that drunk. He got up and headed to the bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and slapped water in his face. He had to pull himself together. He couldn't start losing it now. As he wiped his eyes he looked back into the mirror.

"Who the?" he screamed as he saw a bald man with purple eyes and a wild futuristic costume.

"No need to shout, you could say I am a game master of sorts and I have a proposition for you."

_**Unknown secluded island**_

A hunched over old man with glasses screamed as he through another vile across the room. Ever since that incident with those young kids so many years ago his nerves were shot and he has never been the same again. He came to this island to hide away and to create again and plot, but alas after all these years he just hasn't accomplished anything. He looked over at the gun on his table. He wasn't sure if it was his years of isolation and failure talking or that he knew this was something he deserved, but he knew it was time. What other choice did he have?

_There are always choices, Mr. Animus._ The old man looked around. There was no one there. He now knew what was going on. He had finally lost his mind.

_You haven't lost it my friend; you have just misplaced it. I could use a great mind like yours for a wonderful game that I am creating. _

The old man looked over and saw a bald man holding up his gun and then tossed it away. There was something in those purple eyes that seemed to fill him with life again.

"Go ahead, I am listening."

_**A base hidden deep within the Andes Mountains**_

A woman in her twenties sat staring at her computer monitors. Her lover had been killed because of HIM and all she could do is sit here and watch. When she knew she should get revenge she found herself just sitting here, in hiding, watching his every move. Maybe if he had loved her husband as much as he did those kids she wouldn't be sitting here alone and widowed. She just didn't have the power and drive her husband had. She just felt like she should do something, anything.

_What kind of games would you be willing to play if you had the power to do something?_

"Okay, get out of my head. I know what telepathy is when I hear it," the woman shouted as she stood up.

Leaning against a wall was a man with purple eyes.

"Hello my dear, it's never fun to play alone."

"Who are you and how did you get in here," she said as she looked at aknife and sent it flying with her mind.

The bald man laughed as the knife went through him and implanted itself into the wall. He then turned around and pulled the knife out and tossed it to the ground in front of her feet.

_"Not bad, but you have the potential for more. I'm a master of games and what would you say if I had an offer you couldn't refuse?"_

_**New York, a beautiful office with a view**_

"Yes, I had a wonderful time last night and I do really enjoy helping and being around your kids. Yes, love you too."

_You just love playing games don't you?_

"Who said that," the man at the desk said as he hung up the phone.

He looked around his office as he drew his gun. There was no one there and his door was closed so no one form outside could see in or bother him. He had been around _them_ so often now that maybe someone was playing a game on him.

_Oh no, no one is playing a game on you. Actually I am here wondering if you would like to take your game to the next level and play for me?_

The voice was clear now and he turned around to see a bald man sitting at his desk with his feet probed up upon it. He pointed his gun at the intruder.

"Don't move, this is a secure federal building. How did you get in here?"

"Oh don't worry. I mean you no harm. Please sit and let's chat. I am a bit tired. I have just got done obtaining a tree of sorts and a black king and white queen. I have one spot left in my game and I have come to offer it to you."

"What makes you think I am interested in your games?"

"Well, you have done so well playing yours that you might be ready for a different kind of game. I mean, at this point there isn't much more you can take from your uncle and you can't really go any further with your current game, might as well play a game with higher stakes."

"You seem to be playing a dangerous game by coming here. You have my attention. What's this game and what are the rules?"

"Oh, I just know you are going to love this, Mr. Pierce."

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students—the present**_

"Oh good Dani, I am glad you could make it," said Scott

"With it being summer vacation and all, there isn't a whole lot to do Scott," said Dani

Dani stopped in her tracks when she realized that her and Scott were not the only ones in the room. Sitting on his desk was the despicable woman Emma Frost. She would have screamed if not for a few friendly faces seated in chairs in front of Scott's desk. Seated were her fellow teachers Xi'an, Rahne and Amara. To her surprise there were two other figures sitting here too.

"Sam, Bobby, what are you two doing here," asked Dani.

"Hi Dani, it's good to see you again," Sam said as he hugged her tight.

"Yeah, it's a regular New Mutants reunion," Roberto laughed.

"Okay, if you three will sit down I will tell you all why we have summoned you here," said Scott.

Dani glared at Emma, but quickly took her seat with the others. She then gave her attention to Scott as he began to speak.

"The reason I have called you six here is because I have a favor to ask and you all have been around long enough that I can truly trust this task to you guys," said Scott

"Against my better judgement, I have to agree with Scott that there would be no safer hands than that of the original New Mutant X-men wannabes," said Emma.

"Listen here you old hag," Dani and Roberto began in unison.

"Calm down you two. Emma, could you please control yourself," said Scott.

"Sorry, My love," replied Emma

"As I was saying. All the X-men are needed on a mission for Professor X. With all of us needed there wouldn't be any one here to watch over the school and the students who are still here. We would feel comfortable leaving if all six of you agreed to stay here and run the school in our absence. You six would be the only staff here, but we think you can handle it for while," said Scott.

"Are you sure there isn't anyone else," Roberto asked.

"Not anyone that we trust to watch over the school and it's students. We looked at all our options and this was our best one. All senior X-Men past and present are going on this mission. Other regular past members are either unavailable or they are not capable of handling this kind of responsibility," said Scott.

"Scott is right. With the problems of the Avengers and Alpha Flight being disbanded we didn't have a lot of options or a lot of time. We did try Agatha over in Salem, but she is too busy right now with her own team and students of Salem-X. So we are stuck with you six," said Emma.

"Emma, please. We thought, whom else than the original next generation of X-Men to watch over the school of _new mutants_, well with the exception of the late Illyana & Doug. Three of you are already teachers here and Sam and Bobby have taken leave of X-Force," said Scott.

"But Scott," Sam interrupted, "You're asking us to teach these kids. I am not a teacher."

"Sam, your more of a teacher than you think, not only have you led the New Mutants and X-force you have been a great part of the X-Men. Your leadership skills make you more than qualified to teach and watch over the next generation of mutant students," replied Scott.

"I agree Scott, even if you think these three girls have proved more than adequate so far as teachers here," Emma glanced over and Dani and smiled then continued, "My dear Bobby, you have proven your abilities many times over as running a business and then a branch of X-Corps. You are a born leader."

_Not to mention what you have been doing as a leader and such with the Hellfire Club._

_What?_ Bobby thought back to Emma in surprise to her telepathic statement.

_Don't act surprised. Do you really think that I, a former White Queen and telepath didn't know what you're doing over there?_

"I agree with them Sam. I think we can do this," Roberto said over Emma's telepathic laughter.

"Good, with it being summer break and all there really isn't any classes to teach, If you agree all you will have to do is keep an eye on everything. Are we all in agreement," asked Scott.

After a few minutes all six agreed with Scott Summers. Scott then rose from his chair and stood next to Emma, his co-headmistress of the school and current lover. He looked at them all and then nodded to Emma. Emma, sending out a quick mental summons, ushered Scott to continue.

"Now, each of you will be in charge of one of the Student Squads," said Scott.

"Wait a minute, Scott, there are eight squads if you count Gambit's group of students he teaches. There are only six of us, how…" Dani started to ask.

"I was just getting to that. Emma has already called out and here comes the rest of the group," said Scott.

"Rest of the group," Sam asked.

They all turned as the door opened and six more people came in. They were shocked to see so many other familiar faces. In walked later members of the New Mutants: Rictor, Skids and Warlock. Right behind them was Empath, former Hellion and current X-Corp member, Luna, Xi'an's friend from the coffee shop and Tom Corsi, long time ally of the X-Men and current Phys Ed teacher. Before any questions could be asked Scott waved them to sit down and he continued.

"Now that you are all here I can go over the assignments. Sam and Dani will be acting as Headmaster and Headmistress of the institute while we are gone. They are in charge no questions asked. Dani will continue leading the New Mutants Squad and Sam I want you to take over the Corsairs for me," said Scott.

"Xi'an, you will be in charge of discipline and detention. Your squad will continue to be the Alpha Squadron. Rahne, you will handle the training of self-defense without powers. You will resume the control of the Paragons again," Emma continued for Scott and then nodded back to him.

"Roberto, I am placing you in charge of the Business, Finance and PR operations of the school. You have enough experience in this area and I have full faith in you. Emma agrees with my choice on this. You will also be in charge of Gambit's Squad. Rictor, you will be in charge of the Danger Room team training exercises. You will also take over Iceman's Excelsior," said Scott.

"Amara, I know you have not revealed this yet, but I have to for this decision of ours. Amara has developed a secondary mutation. Her lava now has as a protective and regenerative capability. For this reason we are making you the official school nurse. You will also be taking over Beast's Exemplars. It is a special class and he recommended you. Manual, as an old student of mine and former Hellion, I am putting you in charge of my Hellions Squad. You will also take on the roll of school councilor due to the nature of your powers," said Emma.

"Warlock, you will be in charge of Tech and Security. Sally, you will be in charge of the underage kids. Tom, you will continue to be the Phys Ed teacher and in charge of recreational activities. Luna, we have hired you to be in charge of the kitchen staff. Since you four do not have squads, you all will be responsible for the remaining students that have remained here that are too old for Sally, but not yet placed on a squad," said Scott.

After about an hour of other instructions and rules they were all dismissed as they took on their rolls and the X-Men all disappeared. Dani and Sam watched them leave from the Headmaster's office window.

"Looks like we went from being former students and then going our own ways to being all brought back together to lead a new kind of Mutant Generations Force," Dani chuckled.

"But, are we ready for this Dani," asked Sam.

"I think we are Sam. They won't be gone that long. What trouble could we possibly get into in the mean time," Dani asked as she and Sam both laughed.

_**Unknown Location—the present**_

Seven figures sat in a briefing room of sorts waiting for something. Their wait was finally over as suddenly the image of a bald man with purple eyes appeared on a huge screen. They all silenced quickly as the man began to speak.

"I would like to thank you all for coming. For over a year you have been learning and training and helping out in preparing yourselves for the main game. All has gone well and I am told you are ready to begin the game. It is now time to attack Professor X and his X-men where it will hurt the most. The key is not to go after them but at their roots. Take out the next generation of would be X-Men. No students, no future X-men. As the official Gamemaster, I want to welcome you all to the game: Sentinel, Black Tom, Ani-Mator, White Queen, Stryfe, King Bedlam and Pierce. Now I would like to introduce you face-to-face to the woman behind the scene that you have been taking orders from and assisting all this time," said Gamemaster.

As the Gamemaster spoke and got ready for the introduction a giant door slid away revealing a giant lab filled with containment tubes. The seven players saw that six of the tubes had people in them. There were labels on the tubes reading from left to right: Magik, Cypher, Rusty, Skin, Synch and Mondo. An older woman with short dark hair, large glasses and wearing a white lab coat came into view as the giant doors closed behind her. She smiled at the seven players.

"Greetings my dear. Upstarts, allow me to introduce to you in person, my friend, partner and your instructor Miss MacTaggert."

**Next: Issue #2 – Meet the Squads**


	3. Meet the Squads

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #2 – Meet the Squads**

"Thank you all for coming and listening patiently. Be assured, with the X-Men gone you and this school will be in good hands. We will treat you all fairly, but be assured that we will not be pushovers either. After lunch, all squads will meet with your new instructors. Dismissed," Sam said concluding his speech.

Sam smiled at the rest of his friends as they all watched the students herd out of the assembly room. They all were nervous about calling this assembly but it went well. They informed all the students of what was going on and who the new staff and instructors were and who would be assigned to each squad. All seemed to go well. It helped to know that Dani and the rest of his old New Mutant teammates and friends were standing up here on this stage with him.

"Well we better all go get something to eat. Luna is making her specialty and trust me the girl can cook," Karma said winking as she left the stage as the others followed while Dani lingered back with Sam.

"It still seems so weird to me," Dani said with a sigh.

"Yeah, but at least you have had some experience here. I mean I have led before but not a bunch of kids younger than me," Sam said wiping his brow.

"You'll do fine. We better get going. You'll need food and energy for your session with your new squad," Dani laughed as she put her arm around Sam leading him to the cafeteria.

_**New Mutants – Psyche**_

Dani sat looking out at her old squad. She was so glad that they had managed to work things out and all on "good" terms again. For a while there she didn't think she was going to have a squad left to lead. Prodigy sat holding hands with Surge while Elixir and Wallflower smiled at each other not quite back at that stage again. Icarus sat humming quietly to himself as Wind Dancer daydreamed of Julian Keller. It was a good team and they reminded her so much of her old New Mutant team.

"Dani, so what's really going on that all the X-Men had to be called away?" Prodigy asked.

"That really isn't important. Just a basic mission and they should return soon," Dani answered.

"You don't know do you?" Elixir laughed.

"Never you mind. What's important is the upcoming Squad Tournament," Dani answered.

"Not that I wasn't listening to Sam, but what is this exactly, is this just a means to keep us busy this summer while the X-Men are gone?" Jay, Sam's younger brother known as Icarus asked.

"This tournament is more then just something to do. It is the ultimate training lesson. Not only will it teach you to better use your powers but to work as a team. I want all of you to take this serious and to do your best," Dani glared at all of them.

"Dani is right. I'm tired of losing to those creeps all the time," Noriko said.

"The Hellions aren't that bad," Sofia sighed.

"You only say that because your obsessed with their leader," Prodigy teased.

"I am not!" Sofia shouted back.

"Okay, that's enough. Are we all agreed that this time we win the gold?" Dani smiled pumping up her squad.

"Yes!" they all shouted in unison.

Dani smiled as she began to go over their training lessons and strategies.

_**The Hellions – Empath**_

Manuel de la Rocha, otherwise known as Empath stared at his Squad. This team looked so different from his old Hellions team, but yet the vibe in the air seemed so familiar. The feelings he read from each of them reminded him so much of what his old team could have been if not for their untimely deaths. Time has passed and he is older, wiser and more experienced. He and Emma would have nothing to fear in losing this team of Hellions.

"So Miss Frost tells us that you used to be apart of the original team called Hellions," Cessily, the girl known as Mercury says to their new instructor.

"Yes, that's quite true," Manual answers.

"I bet they were truely wicked," Santo, the rock looking boy known as Rockslide says.

"They couldn't have been that great since most of the team had been killed in battle," the grim boy named Wither said.

"Kevin, their deaths were not theirs or anyone's fault," the blacked robed girl named Dust scolded.

"Its okay, Sooraya right, well, we were a good team, but we thought we were bigger than we were and fell to the consequences," Empath said trying to hold back his emotions.

"Not to worry about us. We're the best and we will mop the floor with the other squads," Hellion shouted.

"Julian is right. We will win this tournament and grind the New Mutants into the ground," Brian Cruz, the Hellion known as Tag cheered with the others.

Empath did not like the path this team's emotions were taking them, especially the one known as Hellion. It was all he could do not to use his empathic powers to push them in a better direction. He knew better than to use his powers that way, especially with the warning Emma gave him. She had made it clear exactly how to lead her squad. Same old Emma Frost and he knew not to cross her.

"Okay squad, let's begin," Manual said as he began to outline his information on the board.

He took a deep breath for he had a feeling this team would be a handful.

_**Alpha Squadron – Karma**_

Xi'an looked out at her squad. She really had a great group of kids. As polite as they were, they still managed to come out as the number three squad here at Xavier's. The Hellions and New Mutants took the top two spots of course. Even though she had no doubt that her team would make the top three in the tournament; it would be nice to actually win for once.

"I think this tournament is going to be a lot of fun," Vic, the squad leader known as Anole said.

"Yes, but it sounds so challenging and complex," Andrea, the girl known as Rubbermaid said.

"As long as we work as a team all will be just fine," Alani, the girl with strange tattoos on her body known as Loa said.

"I agree," Larzaro, the boy known as Kidogo said smiling at Alani.

"As long as we work together and have fun that is all that matters. Even if we don't win," Paras, the purple colored girl known as Indra said.

"Looks like we're all on a great wave length here, I have no doubt we will win this. Don't you agree Sarah?" Xi'an asked to the dark haired girl who sat quietly in the back.

"Whatever," Sarah, the quiet girl known as Network said.

Karma smiled and moved on. Sarah Vale has always been quiet and reserve, totally opposite of her twin sister. Karma didn't worry, as alone as Sarah was and wanted to be, in the end she always came through for her squad. Karma now began to go over more of the rules for the tournament.

_**The Paragons – Wolfsbane**_

"Okay, I know you guys have had a tough time getting a set instructor and just when you were getting used to Amara you get the old switch again. Trust me, I am here to stay and we are going to get along great," Rahne told her squad.

"Don't worry, we like you already," Nicholas, the fury kid known as Wolf Cub drooled.

"Someone's got a crush," whispered Ben, the flaming headed squad leader known as Match teased.

Rahne, with her enhanced hearing had to keep from laughing. She thought about making a comment but then chose not too. After what happened with Josh, she was still on "probation" with Dani. This would be different this time around. She was going to show them all that she is a great teacher and she would prove it by making her squad the best and taking first place, no matter what.

"So Miss Sinclaire, you really think we have what it takes to go all the way?" a bubbly girl with butterfly wings asked.

"Yes Megan, I do. With my help and hard work I um I mean we will prevail," Rahne smiled at the girl.

"Of course we will! Go team go!" cheered Jessie Vale the peppy girl known as Preview cheered.

"I swear she gets on my nerves," Hope, the girl known as Trance whispered to the boy with headphones next to her.

"I think she's hot," Mark, the boy known as D.J. shrugged.

Rahne looked at her six students. They had a lot of hard work ahead of them, but she could make them do it.

_**Interlude – The Upstarts**_

"So Gamesmaster, what's the first challenge?" King Bedlam asked.

The bald man with glowing purple eyes looked at each of them. He had been ready to start the _Main Game_ when we had received a mysterious visitor. The visitor had come to claim his favor for what he had done to get the Gamesmaster where he was now. As much as he hated being in debt to someone, this favor would actually work to his benefit.

"Actually, a twist has come up in the game. As you all are aware of the bonus challenge to score extra points, it is not a team challenge but a one person challenge," Gamesmaster answered.

"What? You mean one of us has a chance to go solo and earn the advantage?" Sentinel said licking his lips.

"Yes, but that is only part of the twist. An eighth and final person will be joining this team. An anonymous benefactor has given a very low classed human villain an extreme makeover and he is to be placed on the team to compete. His name is Douglas Carmedy," the Gamesmaster revealed to them.

"What do we need another competitor for?" Ani-Mator grunted.

"What, afraid of a little more competition," Pierce mocked the old man.

"Wait a minute. Douglas, isn't he the villain named Boogy-Man? I thought he was trapped in Limbo," the White Queen brought up to the Gamesmaster.

"I love a good twist. Boggy-Man has been given a great upgrade. Thanks to Miss MacTaggert we will be manipulating Magik's abilities to access Limbo. Now combining that with Synch and my abilities we will be able to open the portal long enough for you to go in. The first person to reach Boogy-Man and bring him back wins the chance at the Bonus Challenge," the Gamesmaster told them and went into more detail.

"Okay, you have explained how we can get there and back, but what if he refuses to come?" Ani-Mator asked.

"Well, then we force him," Stryfe laughed.

"Actually, you're not to harm him, for he will be a member of the Upstarts and that would violate the rules. Plus, with his upgrade he isn't that weak," the Gamesmaster laughed. "All you have to do his tell him what we are about and then give him the name of this student at Xavier's and he will race you back here."

They all laughed as Gamesmaster gave them the name of the mutant student. He then led them to Miss MacTaggert where the fight for the Bonus Challenge would began. Sentinel was very anxious. He just had to win. The bonus challenge would be very personal and satisfying for him.

_**The Corsairs – Cannonball**_

"Welcome Corsairs," Sam greeted each of his squad members.

"Don't worry Mr. Guthrie, you don't have to be so nervous. We all have faith in you," the three sisters known as the Stepford Cuckoos said in unison.

"Mindee, Celeste and Phoebe, I would appreciate it if you didn't read my mind. I know Miss Frost is lenient but one thing Charles Xavier never tolerated was the violating of other's minds," Sam scolded feeling embarrassed.

"We weren't. We were stating the obvious," the sisters said as one.

"Well, that and you are sweating severely," Max, the comical porcupine-like student known as Quill laughed.

"Be nice Max. You don't have to worry, Mr. Summers has taught us very well in the matter of morals and honor," said the pink-skinned girl named Dryad as she blushed at Sam.

"Callie, quit flirting with the teacher," Dallas, the boy known as Specter said with jealousy.

Sam, blushing a little himself looked at his students. With all he has accomplished, why was he so intimidated by these kids. Was it because they were Scott's kids or that as Headmaster he had a lot more to prove than the others? He sighed. _Fighting Sentinels would be easier then this,_ Sam thought to himself. Sam turned when he heard the sisters grunt. They really made him nervous.

"Don't worry. I have always looked up to Cyclops and you will find that I will do him and all of you proud. I know your squad has never really excelled at the games, but your teamwork and skills are above exceptional. My goal is to show you how to take what Scott has taught you and add a little of that ol' Guthrie flare to hold on to your morals while wining first place too," Sam said as he took deep breaths.

_**Excelsiors – Rictor**_

Julio looked over his squad. He had quite the mix of students. Maybe Iceman was great at this but this crew made him a tad edgy. His squad leader was an older girl namedLisa or Sparkles. She was very bossy and was very determined to master her undependable powers. Then there was Bluefire, Sam's little brother Jebediah. He never listens and is determined to be the next X-Man. Yup, two peas in a pod.

Then there were the two brothers, Tim & Tom. Both , who hated taking orders from a girl, were determined to do their own thing and lead the team.

Then there was the weird spawn of the St. Croix sisters, Penance. She just sat there looking at nothing. He just got the willies looking at her. Then there was the weirdest member of them all, the mutant known as Species. What made him weird is that he was the newly discovered son of Colossus. Come to find out that Colossus had gotten a lady pregnant in the Savage Land. When invaders killed Nermal, Ka-Zar brought young Peter here after his mutant powers had manifested.

What a team he had. He just knew they were all going to get along great. He knew he had made a great choice when he agreed to coming here and teaching. He had no doubt why this team always came in last and was sure they would again unless he was able to whip them in shape. Just as he thought that would be possible, his squad's arguing snapped him back to reality.

_**Exemplars – Magma**_

"Hi class. As you know I will be your new instructor. Mr. McCoy has filled me in on all of you and it will be my pleasure to look after you and teach you. I just hope that I can live up to the great job he has done," Amara said nervously.

They all just sat there staring at her. Beast had said they were a very intelligent but quiet group. She had read up on all of them and took notes from Hank. Sun Lin, the Korean girl known as Botony had been found in an orphanage. There is nothing known of her family or where she came from. Then there was Sue and Terri, thesisters known as Melt and Glowworm. They are very quiet and shy. Xavier had found thethem when they were very little. It is believed they got their mutant powers from their father experimenting on their mother while she was pregnant. After the father was arrested for abuse, and the mother having died giving birth, Xavier had swooped in and taken guardianship of the them.

Also on her squad was Sam's little sister Melody. Even though she is here because her mom and older siblings thinks its best, she has agreed and taken the name Aura. As loud as all the Guthries are, she couldn't believe how quiet she was. Just like the others knowing tragedy, her father had also died. She has always taken it hard.

The last two on her squad were brother and sister and she felt they were the most special of all of them. Their mother had been absorbed by the Phalanx and their father simply disappeared. Biggest of them all was that their Aunt, who had been killed once again, was the legendary Phoenix, or to them Aunt Grey. Jean's niece and nephew, Joey and Gailyn had developed powers and were now on her squad as Shove and Shield. The fact that they are related to Jean doesn't intimidate her; it's the fact Beast says to watch out for any signs of the Phoenix Force.

That is her team, a group of special and very quiet kids. She still didn't know what she was going to do. She had an idea and so she was going to give it a try.

"Now, I know you guys usually don't participate in the squad games, but I had a chat with Mr. Guthrie and Miss Moonstar and they have granted my wish. If you all want to, you will be aloud to participate in the Squad Tournament," Amara told them.

Suddenly, for the first time she saw the faces light up on all six kids.

"Are you serious?" Joey asked.

"Dr. McCoy never even permits us to think about participating in those," Gailyn added.

"Wow, that would be so fun," Sun said nodding at the other girls.

"Well, it's up to you. If you all agree then we will," Amara said as she began to feel more at ease.

"Yes!" they all shouted loudly for the first time.

_**Mutant Force – Sunspot**_

"Welcome all. I know things have been different for you all. Especially with that whole Foxx thing awhile back. Hell, I'm not even sure what Gambit teaches you but things have changed now that I'm in charge," Roberto says looking at the four mutants in front of him.

"What makes you think we'll listen to you?" Flubber, a blob-whale-like mutant snaps.

Roberto powers up and blasts an empty chair to pieces, "Because I am your instructor and I don't get pushed very easily."

"Dude, I hear he was once an evil lord and used to be a big wig in the Hellfire Club. We shouldn't mess with him," Rainboy, a water-like mutant whispers.

"Here's what's going to happen. You guys have been a special squad here at Xaviers. You guys will continue to be special and will be learning all kinds of things. The main focus is that you are now a part of the other squads and will be competing in the tournament. I also expect us all to win, any comments?" Roberto shouts powering down.

"I think I'm going to like him," Onyxx, a rock-like mutant with four eyes covered by a helmet cheers.

"We're with you Mr. DaCosta, but the other teams have six members and we are down to four. Not that we need the help," Bling, a strange looking girl brings up.

"Yes you do and I have selected two additional members, I want you to meet X-23 and your squad leader Giantess. Elizabeth Guthrie, Laura in this team we will keep Gambits tradition. No real names. We are only known by our code names. As you will now call me Sunspot from hear on out," Roberto tells them all they are immediately taken to their first training session as a team.

_**Headmaster's office – The following week**_

"Yes mom, things are going great. I think we got the flow of things down and training sessions are going great," Sam says to his mom into the phone.

"That's good to hear Sam. You know I always worry," Lucinda says to her eldest son.

"I know, and yes I am watching over my brothers and sisters. They are getting along just fine in their squads. Heck mom, if only Joelle, the twins and the littlest one were to develop powers the whole Guthrie clan would be here at Xaviers," Sam joked.

"Sam, that is not even funny. You know it is very hard for me to face this the way it is. Especially with all the danger that pops up there all the time," Lucinda says.

"Mom you worry too much. You're just jealous because nothing exiting ever happens there," Sam teases.

"I know…" Lucinda begins and then suddenly goes quiet.

"Mom, mom you there, what's going on? What is all that racket?" Sam begins to worry.

"Oh, my, God, Sam, some kind of robot has opened fire on the farm. I have to go." Lucinda screams as the phone line suddenly goes dead.

"MOM," Sam screams as he throws down the phone.

**Next: Issue #3 – The First Game**


	4. The First Game

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #3 – The First Game**

_**Prelude – The Upstarts**_

"Congratulations, Sentinel. You have one the bonus challenge," Gamesmaster said as he looked at the newly freed Boogy-Man.

Boogy-Man, the man once known as Douglas Carmedy looked at his new surroundings. While trapped in limbo he had recently been approached by a mysterious figure that had made him an offer he couldn't refuse. That offer now had him with a new look and better than ever. He was now over six feet tall and very toned and built. His skin was pale almost white and his eyes were an icy gray color. They even seemed to glow in the dark. At the moment, he kept his great demon wings hidden from sight.

"You told me of a name at Xavier's, but that was just a ruse by my master to get you to open the portal to free me. I never had any intention to join your group. Right now, there is another group I'm after and must now take my leave." Boogy-Man laughed and before anyone could react he appeared to melt into the shadows and was gone.

**See Power Pack for more on the Boogy-Man**

"Should we go after him?" White Queen asked.

"No, let him go. We do not need him. We have bigger games to play. Sentinel, since you have won the bonus round you get to play for extra points."

"What do I need to do?" Sentinel asked.

"Since you won, your pick to attack the Guthrie Farm will be your game field. Currently on the farm are three humans and three mutants. For every human you kill, you earn fifty points. For every mutants you kill you earn seventy-five points, but if you bring the mutants in alive that will be two hundred points." Gamesmaster instructed.

Sentinel nodded, knowing he had been waiting a long time for this opportunity. He powered up his armored suit and took off towards the Guthrie Farm. Soon, revenge and bonus points would be his.

_**Now – Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"Sam, slow down. Where are you off to in such a hurry? Dani asked as Sam had nearly ran over her leaving his office.

"I can't talk now. I was on the phone with my mom and something happened to her. My family may be in danger," Sam said as he headed for the front door of the mansion with Dani close behind.

Just as they opened the front door, a woman appeared in the doorway. "Sam, I cam as soon as I got your signal."

"Lila, thank you for coming so fast. I need you to teleport me to my mom's farm."

"What is all the ruckus?" Magma asked as she and a few others appeared in the room along with a bunch of the students starting to crowd around.

"I don't have time to explain. Dani, watch after the school. Bobby, Amara & Julio, come with me," Sam commanded as Lila teleported all five of them away.

"Okay, everyone. Back to your rooms. The first round of the tournaments is tomorrow and you all better be ready," Dani said as she shooed everyone away.

"You think Sam and them will be okay?" Xi'an asked.

"He took a strong team with him, I'm sure they will be okay. Warlock, I am going to go train with my quad. Watch the monitor and if you hear anything from Sam you let me know right away," Dani said as she left the room followed by the other staff members.

_**Danger Room – Mutant Force Squad**_

"When is Mr. Richter going to get here? It's our turn for the danger room training and I am itching for some fun," Bling said as she looks at the others.

"I don't know, but I sure hope we win tomorrow," Flubber said.

"Lizy! Lizy!" Screamed a voice as they all turned to see a boy come running through the entryway.

"Jebediah? What are you doing? No ones allowed in here but us," Giantess asked her brother.

"I over heard the teachers talking. Sam, Bobby, Rictor and a few others teleported away saying something about trouble at the farm."

"What? Mom's in danger? We have to go help her."

"How are we going to do that Giantess?" Rainboy asked.

"I can take you there," Lisa Green, who had followed Jeb, said.

"Are you sure, Sparkles? Can you teleport us all there?" Jeb asked.

"I can probably take four of you and that's it. That alone is probably really pushing my limits and will leave me pretty weak," Lisa said.

"Well, I'm going and that's final," Jeb demanded.

"Fine, X-23 and Onyxx will you both come?" Giantess asked her two teammates.

With a quick nod Sparkles called forth her powers. Sparkles of light shot from her hands and eyes and soon surrounded her, Giantess, Bluefire, Onyxx and X-23. In a matter of minutes the five students had become one with the sparkles of light and then vanished from sight. Even thought the others that had been left behind had agreed to cover for them, they still felt hurt for not being asked to go.

_**Guthrie Farm – Kentucky**_

Lucinda threw down the phone and ran to the window. Out in the fields, was a flying robot firing blasts setting the fields on fire. Standing behind her, now, was her eldest at home, Joelle. "What's going on?"

"Joelle, we are under attack. Get the twins, Cleo and Ray Jr. into the storm cellar. What ever happens do not come out."

"What about you, mom?"

"Someone has to protect this family. Now go!"

Lucinda could hear her children crying as Joelle ushered them away. Lucinda grabbed her shotgun and ran outside and fired off a few shots at the robot. "Get off my property and leave my family alone!"

"Lucinda, you think a shotgun can hurt me? You were always the foolish one," Sentinel laughed and pointed his palm at her.

"How do you know my name?" Lucinda began to ask as a blast hit her knocking the gun away and her to the ground.

"Now to earn my first points and a very sweet revenge," Sentinel said as he pointed his palms at the woman sitting on the ground.

"Leave our mom alone!"

"Lewis, Lea, get back here!"

Lucinda looked back to see Joelle shouting after the twins as they stood between her and the robot. She could see how scared they were and the tears running down their checks. She was about to shout for them to get back when they suddenly clasped hands. At contact, the twin's mutant powers manifested and they both began to glow. Suddenly a strong force blast erupted from the two and hit the robot sending it flying backwards and into the barn.

"My babies, what did you just do?" Lucinda said getting to her feet.

"I don't know mommy," Lea cried as she let go of her brother's hand and ran into her mom's arms. The minute she let go they both quit glowing and the power they had created vanished.

"Children, we need to get out of here," Lucinda said as Joelle, Cleo and Ray Jr. had reached her.

"You are not going anywhere," Sentinel shouted as he fired missiles at the family.

The missiles hit causing a huge explosion. When the dust cleared Lucinda laid upon the ground bloody and badly hurt. She looked to her left and saw Ray Jr. She cried when she saw his lifeless eyes staring upwards. She looked around and did not see her four children. She prayed they were all right.

"That's fifty points for the boy and my sensors do not detect any other life signs so I get points for killing the other four. Now to earn my last fifty," Sentinel laughed as he raised he arm blaster at the poor woman.

Sentinel froze when out of no where five figures appeared. He recognized the oldest Guthrie right away. Looked like he was going to get extra pints in this first game of the Upstarts competition.

"Mom!" Sam yelled as he ran to his mom's side. "You okay, where are the others?"

"Ray Jr. is dead," she said as he glanced to the side of her, "I fear the other may be too. Oh, Sam, why is this happening?" Lucinda cried.

"Magma, tend to my mom and then Lila get her away from here. Bobby, Rictor, let's take this creep out hard and fast," Sam shouted as he rocketed into the air at the robot.

Magma ran over to Lucinda and called for her powers. Low level magma flowed from her hands and covered Lucinda's body. After a few minutes it hardened and then flaked away. Lucinda found her wounds closed and was about seventy-five percent healed. Magma's new powers didn't heal powerfully but it was enough to help. Lila then touched Lucinda and teleported a distance away from the fight.

As Cannonball approached Sentinel, the robot fired a missile that caused Sam to ver left and slam into the barn causing what was left to fall to the ground. Sentinel then hit the ground as a blast was forced into him. He jumped up to see Sunspot and Rictor standing in front of him.

"Why are you doing this?" Rictor asked as he called forth his powers making it hard for Sentinel to stand on his feet.

"For sport," Sentinel laughed as two doors opened on his chest shooting out two devises at the two mutants. The devices hit the ground in front of the two causing an explosion so big it sent them both flying through the air. Sunspot hit the ground dazed but okay thanks to his solar form, unlike Rictor who hit the ground unconscious.

"You like to heat things up?" Magma shouted as she flared up in molten fire causing the ground to quake.

"You don't think I play the game prepared?" Sentinel shouted as he released a circular devise at mama causing a pulse wave to hit her causing a form a vertigo that made her destroy the Guthrie home with magma instead of it coming up from under the robot.

Magma turned and gasped in shock at what she just did. Before she could recover from the vertigo a blast hit her in the back. Her magma form protected her from being killed before it reverted back to flesh, as Amara lay unconscious on the ground.

"You are going to pay for this mister," Sam shouted as he rocketed from behind Sentinel fueled by anger and tears.

"Oh, Sam, I will enjoy this," Sentinel said as he fired off another devise at Sam. The devise hit Sam's blast field and sent off a pulse that caused his powers to snuff out and him to hit the ground hard.

Sentinel looked down at the injured farm boy. "The pulse just shorts out mutant powers for a brief second. Now to finish the job before you can power up again."

Sentinel took a small pause as he saw a Sparkle of light out of the corner of his eye. He looked to see five new kids standing behind him, two of them he recognized as Jeb and Elizabeth Guthrie. He couldn't believe how sweet this revenge was going to get.

"What have you done to my family!" Bluefire said as electric fire shot from his eyes and stunned Sentinel.

Before Sentinel could react, Giantess grew very tall and picked up the robot and them him down into the ground very hard. Even though the armor protected him, his body still ached from the impact. He slowly lifted himself up as the rocky kid with a helmet laid him flat on his back with a punch. He lay there as girl jumped on him and sliced his helmet off reveling his bare face with small slash marks.

"Chester Cabot! I don't believe it. Why?" Sam yelled as he slowly got to his feet.

"Why? Because your family is responsible for the death of my daughter," Chester shouted back.

"Now you die," X-23 smirked as Sam yelled at her to stop.

"Game over. Return to base," A voice sounded from within Chestor's armor and he vanished before X-23 could finish the job.

_**Hidden Base – Upstarts**_

"Why did you bring me back? I wasn't finished," Chester shouted.

"The game is over and time was up. Plus the other's have returned after their first game," the Gamesmaster said.

"What? I thought I was the only one playing this time."

"No, you were allowed the chance to earn bonus points while the others played their first game where only one of them could earn points,"

Sentinel looked to see the other Upstarts standing in the room as MacTaggert wheeled a body of a girl into her laboratory. He didn't like how things ended and that the other got to play the first game too but at least he was winning and he said so out loud to the others.

"Actually, you are in second place. Black Tom is in the lead with one hundred points for being the first to capture Gaia," the Gamesmaster said.

"What? But I have far more than that."

"No, you only killed one human earning fifty. The others you thought dead seemed to have reappeared. Now, rest. The second game will begin soon," Gamesmaster said as he vanished from the room while Sentinel complained out loud.

_**Guthrie Farm – Kentucky**_

Everyone sat upon a hill over looking the destroyed and burning Guthrie Farm. They had laid Ray's body to rest shortly after they had discovered the other four Guthrie children. Now they sat and licked their wounds.

"I stil don't believe how you four survived," Lucinda said thanking God once again.

"Well, it appears Cleo has powers too. Just as the missiles were upon us, Cleo turned all shadowy and we fell through the ground and into the underground bunker beneath us. I looked up in shock and saw the black shadow hole drop down next to me and become Cleo again," Joelle said.

"But how did the missiles not find you or you guys get detected?" Sam asked after finishing his scolding of Elizabeth and the others for leaving the school without permission.

"I have a confession to make," Joelle began, "I do have powers. My power causes people or machines not to detect them. It's like I'm a human blind spot. If I concentrate I can make myself totally undetectable by any means possible. If I try really hard, which I did in the bunker, I can make the people around me undetectable too."

"Well, that does it. All my children officially have powers," Lucinda sighed.

"Mom, since there is nothing left of the farm and it's too dangerous to leave you out here with Chestor still on the loose, I'm demanding that all of you move into the mansion," Sam said.

"Might as well. All my kids have powers and there is nothing left for us here. At least this way we will all be together," Lucinda said taking one last look back at what used to be her home.

After a few more prayers for Ray Jr. and emotional tears, Sparkles and Lila teleported everyone back to the mansion leaving the farm to burn away in peace.

**Next: Issue #4 – The Squad Games – Part One**


	5. Squad Games Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #4 – Squad Games - Part One**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"How are you holding up mom?" Sam asked as his mom entered his office and closed the door.

"I'm doing okay. Hard to believe Ray Jr. is gone. I know he wasn't one of mine but I loved him like one of my own. I promised I would look after him when his daddy died," Lucinda began to tear up. "I feel like I've failed. I lost your daddy's farm too."

"I know mom. The farm may be gone, but the whole family is together again living under one roof. Here, you all will be safer," Dam said taking his mom into his arms and holding her.

"You're right, but all those years I have lived there, it'll take some time to get used to. How are the others doing?"

Lucinda asked stepping back and wiping her eyes.

"Joelle, Lewis, Lea and Cleo will all be taking classes and start doing some training on using their powers. Joelle will be doing some training and after awhile we will move her into a squad. The others will have to wait before their old enough to be placed into a squad," Sam said as he told his mom all about how her children where doing.

"That's good. Well, I better go, I promised Luna I would help her in the kitchen," Lucinda said as she headed for the door.

"I better go to. Our end of the summer squad tournament begins soon. Don't worry mom, everything will be okay," Sam smiled as he followed his mom out and headed to the auditorium.

As Sam headed down a long hallway he glanced all around. He had, at first, reservations about all this but so far him, Dani and the rest of them were doing a fine job. Even thought he couldn't wait for the X-Men to return, a part of him almost wished they wouldn't come back and he could remain headmaster. A big smile reached his face as he reached the doors to the auditorium and saw Dani waiting for him.

"Hi, Sam."

"Hey, Dani. Everyone ready?"

"As ready as they can, I guess. All the students are sitting down with the staff watching over them. The eight squads are sitting in their sections with their squad leader standing in front of them."

"Okay, let's do this," Sam said as he and Dani walked into the room.

Everyone clapped s they made their way to the stage. Once Sam and Dani reached the podium all went quiet. Sam gave a quick welcome and thank you speech while Dani then went over announcements and reminders and then relayed the rules and fair game, no cheating policy for the tournament. Once all that was done Dani left the stage and took her place by her squad as Sam addressed everyone once again.

"Now is time to kick of the Squad Tournament. This year there are eight squads entered to compete. When I call your squad name I would like you all to stand. When I announce the squad leader, please come forward and draw your team number, this will be the order you will go in round one. Your squad leader will then announce your number and then name the team leader," Sam said as he nodded to the squads and then began again.

"The New Mutants, led by Psyche." Dani got up and drew the number three and named Prodigy as the team leader.

"The Alpha Squadron, led by Karma." Xi'an got up and drew the number six and named Anole as the team leader.

"The Hellions, led by Empath." Manuel got up and drew the number four and named Hellion as the team leader.

"The Paragons, led by Wolfsbane." Rahne got up and drew the number five and named Match as the team leader.

"The Excelsiors, led by Rictor." Julio got up and drew the number eight and named Sparkles as the team leader.

"The Exemplars, led by Magma." Amara got up and drew the number seven and named Botony as the team leader.

"The Mutant Force, led by Sunspot." Roberto got up and drew the number two and named Giantess as the team leader.

"Of course, last but not least, my team The Corsairs. We'll be going first with the Stepford Cuckoos as the leaders. Now before we go, there are a few more things. The tournament will be done with five rounds, three preliminary rounds, a semi-final round and then the final round, where the winner will receive the trophy. Each team will learn what the round is at the time of competing to keep it unexpected and fair. Once the competition begins you are on your own. Your squad leaders can not help you. You must follow your team leader. Squad leaders prep your teams and meet outside the danger room for round one in one hour. The rest of the school will be able to watch and cheer from special viewing screens. Good luck everyone," Sam concluded as everyone headed out to get ready to compete.

_**Interlude – The Upstarts**_

The Gamesmaster looked at his fellow Upstarts. They were doing quite well. As they competed and earned points, revenge was slowly being taken out against the X-Men's next generation. He took one last look at all of them and then projected himself in front of them.

"Greetings. As you know it is a close game right now. Sentinel is at fifty points. Black Tom you have one hundred. White Queen you have one hundred and fifty points for finding and bringing in Jubilee and killing her aunt. Pierce, you received one hundred points for being the first to find the hidden Chamber and bring him in. Now this next game will be fun. Miss MacTaggert, please explain rules of this game," Gamesmaster said.

"Right now, the mutant known as M is visiting her father and her siblings; Claudette, Nicole and Emplate. Your goal is to bring in the St. Croix children. For each one brought in alive are one hundred points. Any brought in dead will cost you fifty points. Now, if you kill the father or any other non-mutant members of the household or family will earn you fifty points," the woman known as MacTaggert told them as the Upstarts received the coordinates and raced out.

_**Squad Games – Round One**_

Celeste, Mindee, Phoebe, Dryad, Specter and Quill stepped inside the danger room. As powerful as the Stepford's were, blocks were put in place to keep them from reading the minds of the teachers or finding anything out about the games. In front of them was the obstacle course they had to go through. First team to reach the finish and ring the bell in the shortest amount of time won. All team members had to cross the finish line. The top two teams would advance to the Semi-Finals while the bottom two would be eliminated. The other four teams would go on to round two.

They had about one minute to look forward at the lava pit in front of them. There was no way around it. They had to cross it somehow. After the minute the bell rang and their time started.

"How are we suppose to cross that?" Quill asked.

"Dryad, we will help you. Reach out and cause plants to grow and come out and make vines for us to grab and swing across," the Stepford said and Dryad used her powers.

Everyone one quickly swung across and made it to the next stage. They now had to pass through a hallway to get to door at the far end. Quill began to walk forward.

"Max, wait!" Mindee shouted as they grabbed him back in time to avoid a bunch of lasers popping out on each side and firing off blasts.

"Man, that was close," Max laughed, "I can take them out." Max used his powers and fired off a bunch of quills at the guns but they were quickly fired upon and destroyed before even reaching the lasers.

"Now what?" Callie asked.

"Specter, become a shadow and move along the hallway. While you do that and draw the attention of the lasers, Quill, fire at the lasers and destroy them while they are distracted," the three girls said in unison.

As Dallas floated down the hallway drawing laser fire, Quill took out the guns. Everyone then quickly ran down the hallway and went through the door. On the other side they came into a pitch-dark room. After what seemed like forever, Specter found the door leading out and the sisters used their minds to guide everyone to it. On the other side was empty space. They then noticed high above in the sky was a floating bell.

"Now how do we all get up there to ring that?" Quill asked.

After a few minutes Dryad was able to make vines for all them to climb up. Soon, they al made it up the vines and all rung the bell. They knew their time was not the greatest but at least they completed the task. They knew Cannonball would be proud of them.

As they left the room, the Mutant Force came in. Rainboy used his powers to hit the lava with cool water making a layer of solid rock. They all crossed quickly before the lava broke through. Once they got to the hallway, Giantess told them all to wait while X-23 slashed up all the lasers. Thanks to her healing factor she dove headfirst into the laser fire and did what she does best.

Once in the dark room, they lost time as they tried to find the door. Soon, they found it and looked up at the bell. Giantess grew very tall and tossed her teammates up one at a time. Once they were all up there she jumped up and then shrank grabbing hold of the floating ledge. Onyxx grabbed her and easily pulled her up so they all could ring the bell. They smiled as they left the room having just completed the course.

As they left the room the New Mutants came in and took their turn. Prodigy knew the easiest way to cross the lava. It took a bit of time but Icarus and Wind Dancer took turns carrying team members across the lava. As they began to cross the hallway Laurie was hit by a blast but Elixir healed her quickly saving them from being eliminated. Surge used her powers and made short work of the lasers.

Once they were in the dark room they relied on Surge's powers to add a little light and find the door leading out. Once on the other side they took a lot of time as Icarus and Wind Dancer carried each person up and then they all rang the bell. The New Mutants new they didn't have the best time but they were proud of how they worked together as a team to win. They were coming along way.

As the time passed the remaining five teams completed the course and then all eight squads with their squad leaders met before Cannonball. He looked out at everyone and then asked for Skids to announce the winners and losers as he went down near his team. No one knew how any one else did. Hellion kept bragging out load how his team was easily in the finals as the New Mutants gave words back.

"That's enough you guys. Now for the results of round one. First place, with the fastest time and going to the Semi-Finals are the Hellions. The Excelsiors will also join them in the Semi-Finals," ally announced.

"Told you we were the best," Hellion bragged as his team cheered on.

"No fair. The only reason the Excelsiors won is they have a teleporter on their team," D.J. complained to his team.

"Now," Skids continued, "the teams that have been eliminated are; the Exemplars for the longest time and Alpha Squadron for not making it to the end with all their team mates. Paragons, Corsairs, New Mutants and Mutant Force will compete tomorrow in Round Two. Good job everyone. You all did good."

Skids left the podium while Sam said a few more words of encouragement and then everyone headed back to their rooms to get ready for supper. Kara and Magma could be heard trying to talk over their teams to calm them down and remind them that they did their best and they had nothing to feel bad about. There would always be next time.

Dani meet Sam in his office.

"I feel bad about Xi'an and Amara but at least our teams made it to the next round," Dani laughed.

"Dani, once again the Hellions have come out on top. As for your New Mutants, I wouldn't make fun. They would have had the second lowest time if Anole wouldn't have accidentally fallen off the platform before ringing the bell and "dying"," Sam scolded.

"I guess I didn't realize that. They are a good team and that's what counts. You just better watch your team because we are going to smoke you all in the next two rounds," Dani laughed as Sam joined her.

_**Hidden Base – The Upstarts**_

"You get the new bodies sealed up?" Gamesmaster asked MacTaggert as she turned around to face him.

"Yes, almost. Still not happy that Bedlam killed Emplate. I think he did it on purpose since he already had the points from killing the father."

"Really doesn't matter. The three girls were the main goal. Soon, we will have all we need to execute my other plan," Gamesmaster smiled and began to laugh.

MacTaggert laughed with him as she finished up adding the new additions to their collection.

Xavier's School – Outside Garden 

"Hey, sis. What are you doing out here?" Sarah asked as she sat down on a bench next to her sister.

"Oh, I was just thinking. Sorry your team didn't make it," Jessie said smiling at her sister.

"It's that stupid Vic. Once again he was too busy showing off and cost us the game. I heard that if he wouldn't have fallen we would have been in."

"Who told you that?"

"I overheard the Cuckoo's talking to each other. They heard it from Sam's thoughts," Sarah said.

"I see. I was…Ahhh!" Jessie grabbed her head and began to scream.

"Jessie, what's wrong?" Sarah said dropping to her sister's side.

After a few minutes Jessie looked up, "Oh no."

"What is it, did you see what will happen in a few minutes?"

"Not this time. I think I actually got a vision that takes place some time in the future," Jessie began to tremble.

"I didn't think you could see that far?" Sarah questioned.

"I can't, this is the first time and what I saw wasn't pleasant. What I saw, is not good. We're all going to die," Jessie said as she began to cry in her sister's arms.

**Next: Issue #5 – Squad Games – Part Two**


	6. Squad Games Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #5 – Squad Games - Part Two**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"Why are you so sad?" Amara asked.

"My sister wishes we wouldn't have lost," Sue, the girl known as Melt said.

"Don't be sad, Terri. You all did your best and I am proud of you. Thanks to you and your powers the rest of the team was able to get through the dark room," Amara told the mutant known as Glowworm.

"I know, but I also slowed them down too. I hate that when I glow, from the neck down my body becomes a giant worm. With no arms and legs I had to be carried out of the room," Terri sighed.

"It's okay. We are all young and new to the squads and I think we all did a great job working together as a team. In time we will all learn how to better use our powers and one day be X-Men like our Aunt Jean," Joey said smiling.

"That is correct, Joey. You all did great and you will only get better. We will even help you learn how to move when you are in worm form, Terri. But first, let's go eat lunch so we can get good seats for round two of the games," Magma said as she moved her squad out to the cafeteria.

"Hey, Xi'an. Sorry you lost yesterday," Luna said smiling as Xi'an, the mutant known as Karma started her squad through the lunch line.

"Thanks, Luna. The team is getting over it, but Anole still feels bad about being the one to blow it. You know how hard it is to try and fit in and be liked, especially when your different," Xi'an said.

"Yeah, I know. Well, I better get back to feeding the kids. Sit next to you at the tournament?" Luna asked.

"It's a date," Karma winked as she walked away with her tray of food.

"So, how are things going?" Sam asked as he sat down next to his mom and his four new arrived siblings.

"Things are okay, Sam. Miss the farm but I know we are safer here," Lucinda said with a weak smile.

"I love it here. Those squad games are real cool. I can't wait till I can join," Lewis said with excitement.

"You can only join if you have powers, and ours only seem to work when we touch hands. I for one have no desire to join a squad. I just want to go home," Lea said with a tear.

"Don't cry little sis. I don't like it any more than you do but we will be okay here for now. Who knows, we might get to return to the farm one day, right mom?" Joelle asked.

"I hope, baby, I hope," Lucinda said squeezing her daughter's hand.

"Don't worry, mom. Once we find out where Mr. Cabot went and where he got that armor we will stop him. I think he is part of something bigger, so until then you are all safer here. I better go, the games are ready to begin here soon," Sam said getting up and hugging each of her siblings and his mother.

_**Interlude One – The Upstarts**_

"This is taking too long. We need to strike now," the Gamesmaster said looking into a mirror.

"We agreed that if we were going to do this right and together we had to be patient," the reflection said back.

"I want Xavier to pay deeply and those pathetic excuse for Upstarts is getting on my last nerve," the Gamesmaster said.

I want Xavier to pay, but we are not strong enough. Each of those Upstarts was handpicked with a connection to those brats to want to help us no questions asked. Once they help us get what we need then we can be done with them," the reflection said back.

"Some ones coming," Gamesmaster said as he turned from the mirror and slowly moved himself into a wheelchair.

Miss MacTaggert approached Gamesmaster's room. She knew she was never allowed to enter but curiosity always got the best of her. Just as she was about to turn the handle she felt a presence behind her. She turned to see the Gamesmaster standing behind her.

"Oh, there you are," MacTaggert said nervously.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh, I came to tell you that the Upstarts are ready for the next challenge," she answered.

"Thanks. Oh, MacTaggert, you ever attempt to go in my chambers again, usefulness or not, I will kill you," Gamesmaster said as he and his chamber door vanished from sight.

_**Squad Games – Round Two**_

"Welcome everyone to round two. As you can see there are four squads here to compete, Paragons, Corsairs, New Mutants and Mutant Force. Will each squad take their place on the field while the squad leaders take their places up here with me," Tom Corsi, the Phys Ed Teacher said.

Psyche, Wolfsbane, Cannonball and Sunspot took their chairs on each of side of Tom. Down below, the playing field was clear for all to see from up above. It was a giant floor divided into four squares. Each squad's team name was written on the floor within a square. Once each team was in their square walls went up behind them closing off the room. An energy field went up between each dividing line for the squares that allowed them to see clearly through it but did not allow them to pass through it.

"Wow, what do you suppose the challenge is?" Laurie asked David.

"I don't know, but we are about to find out," David the mutant known as Prodigy answered Wallflower.

"For round two you will all be playing Power Dodge Ball," Tom said as glowing balls appeared on each dividing line, equaling twenty in all.

"Sweet!" Wolf Cub yelled.

"Here are the rules. When the buzzer sounds you will race for the balls. The object is to throw the balls at your opponents. If you touch or get hit with the oncoming ball, you are out of the game. The idea is to dodge the balls and be the last team standing. Now, you can use your powers on the balls, but if they are destroyed they will reform. You cannot, use your powers on your opponents. If you do, you are disqualified while your opponent is allowed to remain in the game. However, you may use your powers in conjunction with the balls, just not on your opponent. Lastly, if a ball is coming at you and you catch it in your hands, the opponent who through it is eliminated," Tom instructed the squads.

"This could prove interesting," Prodigy said as he started to analyze the field.

"The first team to lose all its members is out of the tournament. The last team standing will advance to the Semi-Finals. The other two teams will move on to Round Three. Begin!" Tom yelled as the buzzer sounded.

Wind Dancer used her powers to bring a ball to each of her team's hands while the other fourteen balls were divided among the other three teams. All four squads stood there for a moment waiting to see who would move first. Unlike normal dodge ball, you had three areas that balls could come from. Everyone had to make his or her plans carefully. Then on Prodigy's command, his team threw their balls. Soon all twenty balls were flying through the air.

A ball came at X-23 and she extended her claws and sliced it in half. Her team cheered until she began to shimmer.

"What is going on?" X-23 asked.

"X-23, you have been eliminated from the game," Tom said as she vanished from the game floor.

"How? The ball never hit her," Rainboy shouted.

"The rules are that you can not be hit or touch the ball unless you catch it with your hands. Her claws are a part of her. When she sliced it, her claws, which are a part of her body, touched it thus eliminating her. Just like Specter, who even in shadow form and the ball went through him, it still in fact "touched" him and he is out too," Tom said while the others let it drop so they could continue to evade flying balls.

The teams were focused and fierce. After about a half-hour the first team lost it's final member and was out of the tournament. Cannonball got up, swearing cause he knew the cuckoos purposely went out right away so they wouldn't be hit by the balls. He shrugged it off as he went to comfort his team as Quill vanished from the field. Tom called a time out while the remaining members rested as the field reset. The field suddenly went from four squares to three equally divided parts.

In the first section the Paragon Squad was down to two members, D.J. and Match. In the second section had the all six members of the New Mutants. Dani was still amazed how David had analyzed and instructed the team. That and Sofia's ability to slow down the balls once they entered their square. The third and final section held the last three members of Mutant Force, Onyxx, Giantess and Bling. The buzzer sounded and the round continued.

"Okay squad, watch Mutant Force but let's take out the last two Paragons first," Prodigy said.

Wind Dancer called up her wind to slow down any balls coming their way from Mutant Force while surge blew them to pieces. Prodigy, Wallflower, Elixir and Icarus tossed about a dozen balls at the last two members of Mutant Force. Match called forth his powers and managed to engulf the balls in fire and burn them to ashes. Match started to smile as they reformed on their side behind them but then screamed.

"What happened to D.J.? I burned all the balls," Match yelled.

"Yes, but the ashes landed on D.J. The ashes, still being a part of the ball touched him and eliminated him. Welcome to Power Dodge Ball," Tom laughed.

"That's so messed up," match said and then screamed as a bunch of balls hit him in the back eliminating his team.

Wolfsbane left to go see her team as they changed the field into two equal squares. Then time all the balls vanished and then one ball appeared in each remaining team member's hands. Tom announced that this was now going to be the final battle to the end. Last team standing goes to the Semi-Finals and the other team would go up against the Paragons in Round Three. The buzzer sounded and the game began again.

Prodigy took a quick look and then through his ball. The ball went right at Onyxx as he laughed and dodged it. Only problem was that he couldn't dodge the other five that came right at him at the same time. He was hit by one of the six and was gone. Giantess and Bling looked at the six opponents and then at all eight balls on their side. They had the advantage for now.

Giantess grew very large and picked up all eight balls. She then threw them straight down and over with all her strength. Wind Dancer tried to slow them with her powers but they were coming with too much force to slow completely. As everyone tried to dodge, Surge tried a new move. Instead of blowing them all up she released her powers and slowly guided a ball right into her hands. Everyone was surprised by the skillful catch, even Giantess as she vanished from the playing field.

"Great catch, Surge," Prodigy winked at her.

"I can't believe that worked," Noriko sighed.

It didn't take long for the New Mutants to take out Bling and win Round Two. Everyone cheered as Dani high fives her team as they advanced to the Semi-Finals. Tom calmed everyone down and told him or her that they would take a break and that Round Three would start in one hour. It would be the Paragons versus the Mutant Force for the final spot in the Semi-Finals.

_**Interlude 2 – Genosha**_

"How are you holding up?" The mutant known as Book asked.

"I'm doing okay. I wish I could have gone with them. I really think that there was something really starting between Warren and myself," Paige, the mutant known as Husk said.

"I know honey. He's been gone a while but he'll return to ya. So how's your mom?" Annika asked.

"She is doing well. I talked to Sam yesterday and he said that she and my brothers and sisters are doing well. They want me to come back so the whole family will be together. I still don't know, I'm feeling kind of lost right now," Paige said.

They both soon jumped at a loud explosion. Something or someone was attacking the island. Before Husk and Book could react Wicked came running screaming. There was dirt and blood all over her.

"What's going on?" Husk shouted.

"We're under attack. These six figures came out of no where and they are blowing everything and anyone apart looking for you," she yelled at Husk.

"For me?" Paige questioned.

"Yes, dear, for you. You see, me and the rest of the Upstarts are in a competition. First one to bag you and bring you in wins," a lady dressed all in white appeared form around the corner.

"White Queen? Miss Frost, why are you doing this?" Paige asked in puzzlement at her old head mistress.

"Oh, you do have me mistaken for someone else," the White Queen laughed as she pulled out a gun and shot Book.

"Annika! Paige, she's dead," Wicked screamed holding her friend.

"Wait, you're not Emma. You're her sister, Adrianne!" Husk screamed as she tore off her skin becoming a strong organic steeled form.

"That's right and I'm having fun taking out my dear sister's old brats," White Queen snarled as she started firing more shots.

The bullets bounced off Husk as she leapt at the new White Queen. Before she got close enough she felt herself being grabbed by an unknown force and thrown backwards. She looked up to see a figure in giant silver armor.

"Back off, Stryfe, she's mine," White Queen shouted.

Stryfe turned to comment when an explosion sent the two members of the Upstarts flying in opposite directions. Husk looked up to see Karima floating in the air. Thanks to her Omega Prime Sentinel abilities she had saved them. She landed next to them as she glanced down at Book.

"We have to move. Freakshow, Shola and Callisto are holding off the other five. Paige, we have to get you off the island and in hiding. We don't know what they want with you but we will not let them get you," Karima said as she pulled Wicked away from Book as a man walked up.

As he got closer, they saw that chunks of his skin on his hands and face were metal. He was obviously some kind of cyborg. His hands shifted and began giant lasers. He aimed both of them at Husk and smiled.

"Looks like Pierce will get the prize," the cyborg laughed.

"Not on my watch," said a voice from behind the cyborg.

Pierce turned to see a bald headed, dark skin man standing holding his side. A large amount of blood could be seen around his hand. Before the cyborg could react, Shola waved his free hand and sent Pierce flying upwards and off across the distance. He then slowly made his way to his three friends.

"We have to go. Callisto is holding her own but Freakshow is gravely injured," Shola said as Wicked began to gasp at the word of her injured friend.

"The prize is mine," a man said coming out from the shadows.

"Black Tom!" Paige screamed.

"Hello again, Paige," Tom said as he smiled at the girl.

"How?" Paige whispered.

"Yes, as you can see I have gained my human form again, but I still have a secondary mutation," Black Tom said as he waved his hands causing the trees around them all to grow large and wrap each of them up tight in their branches.

"This won't hold us for long," Karima shouted as she began to plan her system to action.

"Paige, dear. Remember my powers? Well, my second mutation allows me to control trees," Tom began to say as the tree grew branches out so that they were all touching each other and one tree sent a branch right up to Tom, "while my primary mutation allows me to still channel power through wood." Tom finished as he touched the tree branch sending a powerful blast through all the trees blasting everyone but Husk into unconsciousness.

"No!" Paige screamed at her fallen friends.

"Time to cash in," Tom laughed as the tree dropped Paige in front of him and he knocked her out with a swift blast from his wooden club.

"Stop," Callisto shouted as she rounded the corner seeing Black Tom flying off with Paige.

"Game over," Tom laughed as he dropped a devise down below onto Callisto, her friends and the island below causing the whole area to go up in a huge explosion as he flew off into the sky with his prize.

**_Squad Games – Round Three_**

"Are you sure?" Match asked Preview.

"Yes, I received a vision. They will all strike to the right and distract us. Then X-23 will then sneak up from behind and "slaughter" us. In the mean time, Bling will have reached our flag, grabbing it and winning," Jessie Vale said.

"Okay, here is the plan. Wolf Cub, as soon as you smell them coming whistle and I will surprise them with a huge fire. Trance, put your astral form back behind us and hide. X-23 will not smell your astral form. When you see her about to jump out pull back to your body. Pixie, when you see Trance's eyes open send your hallucinating dust directly into X-23's way. At that moment, D.J. will send energy waves around our flag and at Bling to keep her off balance. While all this is going on, Wolf Cub, you will have stealthily made it to their flag winning the round for us," Match said as they all confirmed the plan.

They had been lucky that Jessie received a vision right before the buzzer was supposed to sound. This gave Match a few minutes for him to come up with a counter plan. When the buzzer went off the plan went just as they predicted. Wolf Cub whistled and then bolted off as Match took Giantess, Flubber, Onyxx and Rainboy by surprise with an unexpected wall of fire.

X-23 moved right pass Trance's astral form without noticing it. As she leapt from the trees she suddenly found herself covered in pixie dust. Her senses went wild as she started to have odd flashbacks and hallucinations. Bling paused for a minute but then found herself being hit by energy waves. Nothing had gone as planned for them. Soon the buzzer sounded as Wolf Cub stood waving a flag and the Paragons being announced the winners of round three.

"No fair, they cheated," Sunspot shouted at Wolfsbane.

"Your just mad because my team sent yours packing," Rahne laughed as she ran down to congratulate her team.

"Well done, Paragons. This concludes the tournament for today. Enjoy the evening and be here tomorrow at ten a.m. for the Semi-Finals. This will determine which two squads will be sent to the Finals. Will it be the Hellions, the Excelsiors, the New Mutants or the Paragons? It's anyone's game," Sam cheered as the students, squads and staff were dismissed.

"Wow, Roberto and his squad are mad," Dani said coming up behind Sam.

"The only reason the Paragons won was because of Jessie's pre-cog powers," Sam said.

"Yeah, speaking of which, I heard something today. Sophia was sitting out in the garden and her powers allowed her to over hear the Vale sisters talking. Jessie saw a vision that took place farther out than a few minutes. Sophia didn't know how far but Jessie was crying about seeing everyone here dead," Dani said with concern.

"First the attack on my family and now this. I wonder if something big is up and if so what is coming?" Sam questioned quietly looking out past Dani.

_**Epilogue**_

A large man with a white face and black costume entered his lab. After Weapon X and Neverland had been shut down he had brought his testing to this new location. For months he had been working on his new experiments. He was sure he had finally made a huge breakthrough. As he entered a specific room he took great pause. The chamber he had come to check on was destroyed and empty.

"Looking for me, Sinister?" Said a slumped over form from behind him.

"How did you get out?" Mr. Sinister asked.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm free," the man said inching into the light revealing his very feeble, disfigured and scared body.

"Looks like you've made mistake," Sinister laughed.

"No, the only mistake made is in you creating me," the man said swiping out with his clawed hand slicing Sinister's face drawing a little blood.

"You dare?" Sinister said as he began to move then dropped to one knee. "What is wrong with me?" Sinister whispered.

"Who's weak now?" the man laughed.

"You'll pay for this and fear me," Sinister snarled baring his teeth throwing a chair knocking his test subject back.

"No, the X-Men and their world will be the ones to pay," the man said suddenly standing up no longer looking weak and feeble as his body suddenly healed. He then whistled, "and the only fear is of you from them."

"NO!" Sinister screamed as the man walked out of the room laughing as a dozen mutated subjects rushed into the room and shredded the life from Nathaniel Essex's body.

**Next: Issue #6 – Squad Games – Part Three**


	7. Squad Games Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #6 – Squad Games - Part Three**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students – Morning Staff Meeting**_

"Thank you all for coming, I know it is early but I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time before the Squad Tournament starts," Sam said as he joined the others at the large table in his office.

Sam looked around the table to see his main staff and friends. Dani Moonstar, Xi'an Manh, Roberto DaCosta, Rahne Sinclaire, Amara Aquilla, Manuel de la Rocha, Julio Rictor, Warlock, Sally Blevins, Tom Corsi and Luna. It was hard to believe that the people he was looking at were all reunited again. Who would have thought that these once teammates and then taking different paths would all lead back to working together to teach the next generation of mutants? Sam was in awe and suddenly felt old.

They had their average everyday problems that you have with kids and students but for the most part all was running well. Despite the attack on his family, they had been real lucky to have the students and the school left alone from outside harm. As much as he had grown to like his role, he still worried about the X-Men. No word from them and no idea wen they would be back.

"Earth to Sam," Dani said laughing with the others.

"Are you okay?" Rahne asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. Was just thinking about all this among other things," Sam smiled.

"We better get this meeting started before I fall asleep," Roberto grumbled.

"You're just sore because you're out of the tournament. Speaking of, we do need to get moving so I have time to visit with my squad," Rahne smiled at Roberto.

"Okay, that's enough gloating. Now, any word yet on Mr. Cabot and the attack on my family?" Sam asked.

"Sorry, Sam. I don't think we have come up with anything. Maybe it's just a random attack with an old grudge to settle?" Dani suggested.

"She might be right. I tried checking things out through some of my contacts and I haven't got any word of anything stirring up really," Roberto said.

"Yeah, but I wonder how he could just disappear like that. I'm going to see if my sister and her friends on Genosha might be able to do some searching. I haven't been able to reach her but I know she's busy. I'll try calling her again later," Sam said more to himself than the others.

"Does anyone have any issues or problems they need to bring up?" Sam finally addressed to everyone.

"Yes, can you please tell Dani that she can't play favorites when disciplining the students," Manuel glared at Dani.

"I was not playing favorites. There were many witnesses that saw Julian start the fight with David," Dani shouted back.

"What is going on?" Sam asked.

"Hellion was just making some playful banter about winning the tournament when David took a swing at him," Roberto said.

"Don't defend him. Wolf Cub saw Julian shove David with his powers and then make a crack about Noriko," Rahne said.

"David was just defending himself against your out of control team," Dani shouted at Empath.

"That is enough!" Sam shouted and everyone came to a stop. "We have enough to deal with running this school then for us to be fighting between ourselves."

"But, Sam," Dani began.

"Dani, as Headmistress and Headmaster we can't use our higher authority to settle old scores or play favorites. Emanuel, if you can't teach better manners and better control your team there will be consequences. Final word on the subject, if there is any more issues either side will be removed from the tournament," Sam shouted.

After a few minutes of cooling down the meeting got back on track. There were no more really serious issues to address. Sam and Dani were happy to hear how Warlock, Sally, Tom and Luna were handling the lower class students. Especially Sally, she was doing great with the younger kids. Soon they dismissed to get ready for the Semi-Finals.

"Xi'an, can I speak with you for a second," Sally asked once they got out in the hallway.

"Sure. Luna, I'll catch up with you later," Xi'an said was Luna smiled and followed off after Tom.

"Thanks," Sally said.

"What's up? Is there something wrong with my brother and sister?" Xi'an asked.

"Well, I think they're finally developing powers," Sally said.

"What? That can't be, they're still too young," Xi'an said as she began to worry.

"They're almost teenagers, Xi'an. As you know most kids start getting powers around that age and sometimes sooner," Sally said.

"I know, it's just with everything going on I don't know if I'm ready to deal with my siblings having powers," Xi'an sighed. "Are you sure?"

"Not completely. Hard to tell when they sit in a class full of mutants. With your permission, I can have Amara and Tom check them over later in the Med-Quarters," Sally suggested.

"Yes, that will be a good idea. I want to be there too. Let's set something up after the tournament is over," Xi'an said as she headed off with Sally shaking her head.

"What you staring at, Vic?" Andrea the mutant known as Rubbermaid asked Anole as she set her breakfast tray down at the Alpha Squadron table.

"I wasn't staring at nothing," Vic said as his green cheeks blushed slightly.

"Don't lie to me. You do it all the time. You have the hots for Dallas Gibson," Andrea laughed.

"I do not. Even if I did, he's straight, plus he would never go for someone that looked like me," Vic mumbled.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. There's nothing wrong with the way you look. People adore you," Paras said as the others at his table agreed.

"Will you guys keep it down. Don't need the whole world to know," Vic sighed.

"Guess what?" Andrea whispered into Vic's ear.

"What?" Vic said glancing over at her.

"I'm no gossip, but I might have heard from the Cuckoos that Specter is gay, but is very in the closet," Andrea smiled as well as Vic did.

"Hey, Vic. We still on for studying for your science test later?" Paras asked.

"Sorry I can't. I've got plans to make," Vic said suddenly excited as he ate his breakfast and stared off across the cafeteria with a smile, leaving Paras without one.

_**Interlude – Somewhere in the Midwest**_

"What are you doing here?" Lucia Callasantos, the mutant known as Thornn spat.

"I could ask you the same thing, sister," Maria the mutant known as Feral said back

"I had received a message from Cable that he wanted to start up a new X-Force team and wanted me on it," Thornn said.

"I got the same message. I'm surprised that you would come," Feral said.

"I haven't decided if I will join him or gut him," Thornn growled.

"I think he's coming. I smell a familiar scent," Feral said as a form came down from the sky.

"Wait, that's not Cable," Thorn shouted.

"Stryfe!" Feral shouted at the silver armored being.

"Who would have thought it would have been so easy to lure you two out in the open. Guess I win this one," Stryfe laughed as his powers grabbed the two sisters and pinned them to the ground.

"No fair, you cheated," Sentinel shouted as the rest of the Upstarts arrived.

"I didn't cheat. We all have special connections and I just used mine," Stryfe laughed as he went to claim his prize.

"Don't think so," Jesse Aaronson, the mutant known as Bedlam said as he jumped out of hiding and called for his powers.

"Argh!" Screamed Stryfe as he grabbed his head and released his grip on the sisters.

"How?" Feral said.

"I met Jesse a few months back. He was recovering from a near death moment and I nursed him back to health," Thornn licked her lips.

"He asked me to come along as backup just in case," Bedlam said helping the two girls up.

"We were counting on that," Pierce said as he pointed his cybernetic guns at the three.

"He must be dumb," Bedlam said calling forth his powers dropping Pierce to the ground as his mechanical systems went down.

"No you are," King Bedlam said stepping up to the younger mutant.

"Chris?" Jesse started to say as he grabbed his head and fell to the ground unable to move.

"Poetic Justice huh?" King Bedlam laughed as he used his powers to knock out his prize.

"Jesse, no!" Thornn screamed as she leapt for King Bedlam.

Thornn screamed as a series of blasts from Sentinel sent her flying to the ground. As she tried to get up, a powerful beam shot from the center of Sentinel's chest knocking her out. Feral was breathing hard. She had seen Jesse and her sister go down but she was to busy dodging Black Tom and White Queen's attacks on her. She managed to get around the corner and darted into the woods.

Just as she thought she was clear she felt the ground raise up and she was in the air. An electric net had snagged her. She hung in the air as she felt volts of electricity fill her body. Before things went black she saw a strange hunched over old man approached her laughing. She tried to speak but the dark finally claimed her.

"I win," Ani-Mator cheered to himself.

**_Squad Games – Semi-Finals_**

"Welcome everyone to the Semi-Finals. This round will determine the two teams that go head to head in the Finals. Each team will have an objective to overcome. The first two teams to finish and with the fastest times will go to the finals," Sam announced as each of the four squads entered a room all to themselves.

"What do you think it will be?" Laurie asked Josh.

"I'm not sure," Josh said.

"The Semi-Finals will be a little harder. First, I want each squad leader to pick one person to leave the field," Sam said.

"What is going on?" Bluefire said glancing at Sparkles.

"I don't know. Who should leave the field? Sparkles said.

"I think Peter should go. Changing into animals isn't as much of a hit as losing any one of the rest of us," Tim and Tom said together.

"Hey, I'm just as dangerous," Peter, the mutant known as Species said.

"Sorry, Peter. I think it's for the best," Sparkles said announcing her choice and Peter was removed from the field.

Sam watched as the teams fought or discussed among themselves who would leave. The hellions quickly tossed out Wither while David agreed to send Surge out making her mad and the rest of the team for sending out their heavy hitter. Paragons debated and then all agreed Preview would be the best choice to leave.

"Great, now that you have done that it's time to start the competition," Sam said as he gave the signal.

Wind Dancer looked around as something unexpected happened. An energy field grabbed each of them and pinned them to the wall powerless. An explosive devise appeared near them all and a timer began to count down from thirty minutes. Next a large Sentinel rose up in front of them facing the exit door. Soon David came through the door. This same scene happened for each of the squads.

"As you can see, there is a twist. All of you are trapped and are unable to use our powers or speak. The person you voted out will be responsible for getting past the Sentinel and freeing his or her squad before they are blown up. Oh, and the timer has already begun. GO!" Sam yelled as the crowd roared with surprise.

_**Excelsiors – Species**_

Peter was excited. It was time for him to show them what he could do. He wasn't the weakest person on the team. Yeah, he may be younger but his dad was Colossus, an X-Man, as he hoped to be one day. He looked at the times and saw he had twenty-five minutes to free them. The Sentinel made a move at him and fired a blast.

"Can't hit what you can't see," Species said, as he became a fly.

With ease he flew over to where the timer was. He then became a Beaver and chewed through the wires till the device quit counting down. With the detonator taken care of he could go deal with the Sentinel. He then became a fly and flew up to the robot's head and flew inside a small opening. He then became an electric eel and fried the robot's insides.

Peter flew out as a fly and landed before his team shifting back as the robot stood motionless. The crowed roared in amazement. How could he have done it so easily? His team apologized to him and cheered him on for a job well done. Peter's ego swelled as he wished his dad could have been here to see this.

_**Hellions – Wither**_

"This will be easy," Wither said as he ran up to the Sentinel.

Kevin touched the Sentinel's foot and called forth his powers. After a few minutes the foot decayed away and the robot fell to the ground off balance. Wither jumped up on the thing's back and made his way to its head. After a few minutes he had the head decayed away. He got to the devise and his team and saw that more time had passed then he had thought. He had five minutes left.

He put his hands on the devise as he heard his squad moaning loudly under their gags. In a matter of moments the devise began to decay. Just when he thought the device would be gone and he would win, the decaying triggered something inside the devise and Kevin and his team were blown to bits.

"You idiot, don't you know anything about explosives?" Hellion shouted as he and his squad left the floor as Kevin knelt there.

"It's okay Kevin. You did your best," Cessily said placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, but never good enough," Kevin said shrugging her hand off and storming out.

**_Paragons – Preview_**

Jessie stood there staring at the Sentinel. She had no idea how she would be able to defeat the robot by herself and free her friends before it exploded. As she dodged the robot's blast screaming for her life she suddenly felt a vision come on. She saw herself losing the match. When she came back to reality, she yelled sorry and wiped a tear as her vision came true.

"Don't feel bad. There wasn't anything you could have done anyway," Match said as he stormed off.

"Ben, that wasn't nice," Hope shouted after their hotheaded leader.

"Hey, I still think your great. You lasted longer than I would have," Pixie said as she put her arm around Jessie as they left the field.

_**­New Mutants – Surge**_

Noriko was no longer mad at David. David's power had helped him know what Sam knew and chose the right person to leave. Now she had to save them. She charged up her powers and moved around the robot very fast while sending surges of power at it. She had to hurry, time was ticking.

Surge made it to the top of the Sentinels head. She placed her hands right on top and cuts lose. Surge quickly speed off as the Sentinel's head exploded. She got to the device and saw she had 2 minutes left. She was about to blow the device with her powers when she realized that it could be a mistake and set it off.

She sat there thinking what David would tell her do. One minute left, she better hurry. She could see the confidence in her team's eyes, especially David's. She placed her hands on the base of the wall and let her powers loose. The wall sparked as the wall cracked and the energy fields shut off.

Surge, Wind Dancer and Icarus each grabbed someone and flew off just as the device exploded. She had done it in the nick of time. Josh healed their burns from Surge's power feedback and cheered their way out of the room. Surge suddenly found David's lips and received a surge of her own.

"Congratulations, New Mutants and Excelsiors. Tomorrow you will compete in the Squad Tournament Finals," Sam and everyone cheered.

"Wow, I can't believe it. I really thought it would be us versus the Hellions," David said as they were heading back to their rooms.

"Count yourself lucky, nerd. If it wasn't for Kevin, it would be us kicking your butts tomorrow," Julian said as he and his squad shoved pass them.

"Why you," David started when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"David, let it go. You can never let an opponent get the best of you. Plus, is it worth getting disqualified?" Dani said giving him the look.

"No, Dani, you're right. Sometimes he just gets under my skin," David said.

"As does mine," Dani said as she led her team away.

"Great match today, huh?" Anole said as he moved near Dallas.

"Yeah, I guess," Dallas said back not really looking his way.

"Hey, I was wondering. Some of us are going to get together and watch a movie tonight," Vic began to say as he stuttered.

"Hey, Dallas. Hurry up, Sam said he would take us for ice-cream in honor of how proud of us he is with how we presented ourselves during the tournament," Callie and Max shouted at him from down the hall.

"Great!" Dallas said moving into a run leaving Vic behind.

"Hey, Vic. What movie should we get?" Paras said as he and Loa moved up to him.

"I think I'm going to pass tonight. Don't feel much like a movie," Vic said as he headed off to his room.

"Can you believe it's us in the finals?" Lisa said.

"I'm so proud of you guys. Species you really came through and showed them," Rictor said patting Peter on the back. "You're dad would be proud."

"We are so going to win this," Jeb said loud enough for Josh to hear and sneer back at him, "You wish."

**Next: Issue #7 – Squad Games – Part Four**


	8. Squad Games Part Four

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #7 – Squad Games - Part Four**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students **_

"Congratulations again on your team making it to the Finals, Dani," Sam said as he knocked on her door.

"Thanks, Sam. My squad reminds me so much of us when we all started out. It's been a lot of hard work getting my squad to get along and work as a team and it's finally paying off," Dani said with a smile.

"Well, I think everyone has done a great job. Not only in the squad games but also in helping run this school," Sam said.

"I think now that we have all had time to get into the swing of things, it's like second nature. I could do this for long time," Dani said.

"Well, we may have to," Sam said as he walked to the window and gazed outside.

"Sam, is something wrong?" Dani said walking up to her friend.

"I found a data log in Scott's, I mean my office. It was a file recorded and sent from Genosha before they left. I tapped into it by mistake while I was trying to find out why I can't reach my sister or anyone there," Sam said.

"What did it say?" Dani asked.

"It seems Professor Xavier called all the X-Men together to head off into space. Apparently Magneto had another hidden base up there and Charles had received a distress call from Magneto that he was under attack," Sam said.

"By whom?" Dani asked.

"Xavier believed that Apocalypse was up there," Sam said looking directly at Dani.

"Apocalypse? I thought he had been killed?" Dani said with real concern. "I guess that would explain why Charles called in all the big guns and left us to run the school in their absence."

"Yes, they had no idea what they were walking into. Which is why I think we are in this for the long haul," Sam said.

"What are you getting at Sam?" Dani whispered.

"I did some scanning and I found the area of space where the X-Men were going. Seems there are readings of some sort of Space Anomaly and signs of a large explosion. Besides that there is nothing else there but small traces of debris," Sam said as his voice quivered a little.

"What are you saying? The X-men are all dead?" Dani asked with fear.

"That, or vanished from the anomaly. It's hard to say. I'm going to try and do some more checking when I can. Until then, I think it's better to keep this to ourselves. No need to panic anyone, especially the students," Sam said.

**To learn the fate of the X-Men, check out the current issues of The Sensational X-Men **

"What about the rest of the staff?" Dani asked.

"Like I said. I think it's best to keep this between us for now, at least until I find out more," Sam said as he took a weeping Dani in his arms.

"Yeah your right," Dani said looking up into his eyes, as their noses almost touched.

"Sam, Dani?" Roberto asked as Sam and Dani jumped apart from each other in surprise.

"Bobby, hi," Dani said composing herself.

"Am I interrupting something?" Roberto smiled.

"No, we're just talking. What did you need?" Sam asked blushing a little.

"Uh huh, whatever. Time for the final round to begin," Sunspot said.

"Right, we better go," Sam said as he ushered Roberto out and Dani followed quickly behind.

A few minutes later 

"Welcome everyone to the final round of the tournament," Dani said as she gave an introduction speech.

"Thanks, Dani," Sam said as his friend left the stage to join her squad.

"Today's match will be the New Mutants versus the Excelsiors for the championship," Sam continued as the crowd cheered and the two squads waved with excitement.

"The first team to defeat every member of the other team wins. The devises we placed on each member, along with the danger room technology, will make it appear as if you're being hurt but you will not truly be affected by your opponent's powers. Now remember, since X-Men do not kill, you have to take down your opponent without killing. If you do, you will be automatically disqualified while your opponent gets to say in the game. Each of you will also have com units to keep in communication with each of your teammates and a device that will tell you who is left in the game. Good luck and may the best squad win," Sam said as the cowed cheered and the two squads vanished from site and teleported into the final round.

_**A safe house in Alaska**_

"Thanks for coming," Nathan the man known as Cable said.

"Why have you called us here?" Domino asked.

"If it's to join your new X-Force team, I told you no already," Theresa Rourke, the mutant known as Siryn said.

"That's why I forced all of you here. I never asked you to join a new X-Force," Cable said looking at everyone.

Cable looked at the group assembled in his safe house, which was only one of many throughout the world. He had been sitting with Caliban, Irene Merryweather and Blaquesmith when Caliban received a transmission on his com unit. Caliban activated it and it was a message from Cable asking him to join a new X-Force and to meet him at the given coordinates. Caliban was confused since Cable was sitting right next to him.

Cable assured them that he did not send that message. He told Blaquesmith to track that message while he and Caliban left to check out the site. When they got there the place was empty except signs of a battle. Cable did a scan and found traces of Thornn, Feral and Bedlam. There were other faint impressions that were familiar but something was blocking him from picking up on it.

"That's when Lila Cheney arrived," Cable said recapping his story.

"What were you doing there?" Domino asked.

"Sam had called me for help. His family had been attacked and I went to help him," Lila said.

"How's Sam?" Tabitha the mutant known as Meltdown asked.

"Good. We didn't have much time to talk. He called and I came, no questions asked. After we saved his family, I had to leave right away. I had a gig I needed to get ready for so I didn't have time for chitchat. So I dropped everyone off at the mansion and then left. I really didn't have time to catch up or anything, plus Sam was busy tending his family.

"I played my gig, great concert I might add, and then received a call to go on a new Universal Tour. I was finishing wrapping up my Earthly affairs before vanishing off to deep space when I received a transmission from Cable wanting me to join his new X-Force. After finishing up my stuff I went there to politely turn him down when I found what he found," Lila explained.

"Concerned that this might be connected to the attack on the Guthrie Farm, Lila came back with me here. Blaquesmith was able to find whom the message was all sent to," Cable said.

Cable told them he found it odd that they only people the message was sent to was Meltdown, Shatterstar, Warpath, Siryn, Feral, Thornn, Caliban and oddly Lila, whom Cable felt was for revenge. There was a good block so he was unable to get where the message had been sent from. Who ever it was wanted members of X-Force in one spot.

"Of course Meltdown, Warpath and Shatterstar had refused to come," Cable said.

"That's because I wouldn't let them. I was angry at the thought you wouldn't invite me and try to steel my X-Force team," Domino said.

"As you have seen, it wasn't me, Beatrice," Cable replied.

"I flat out to you no because I'm tired of you and that team. Plus, I was in the middle of discussing a deal to help Madrox and Guido start up a new investigative firm when you rudely body slide us all here," Siryn glared.

"I had too. Who ever this is wanted each of you. I was too late to help Thornn, Feral and Bedlam but I can still protect the rest of you," Cable said.

"We don't need your protection," Siren said as a few others agreed with her.

"Actually, they do," a voice said from above them.

"Stryfe?" Cable screamed looking up at a man in an all silver body armor standing in front of several other figures in the shadows.

"Argh! There minds are Psi Shielded," Blaquesmith screamed as he hit the ground smoke coming from his ears.

"You will pay for that," Cable shouted as he flew up toward Stryfe.

Cable pushed out with his mind as Psi Blocks pounded back at him. He could sense another presence surrounding Stryfe with Psi Shields. A powerful feedback hit his mind sending him to his knees a few feet in front of Stryfe. The Psi Shield had kept him out and had severely wounded and drained him. He did get a strange familiar sense from the man calling himself Stryfe.

"You're not Stryfe. There's something about you. Tyler?" Cable whispered as he reached out with his mind.

"Upstarts, attack!" Was all Cable heard before a force hit him causing him to back out.

**_Squad Games – Finals_**

Prodigy found himself on a large cliff with open air behind him and a large grassy field in front of them. Standing next to him was Icarus. He did a quick com check to find that they had all been divided into teams of two. He quickly gave them orders to be careful and to keep in communication. They would find a way to not only find each other but to win this tournament. Josh shouted a warning as they saw two opponents coming at them.

"It's Sparkles and Species," Josh said.

"You take Species and I'll take Sparkles," Prodigy said as he faced the girl approaching him.

"This will be too easy," Sparkles said wiggling her fingers causing them to sparkle.

Prodigy grabbed a large rock and threw it at her. Sparkles waved her hands causing herself to be covered in sparkling lights and then vanished. The rock hit empty ground as Prodigy looked around. Sparkles was then behind him in a sparkle of light.

"Loser," Sparkles shouted as she pushed him off the cliff.

"Prodigy!" Icarus shouted as he saw his friend go over the cliff.

Before Josh could fly to his friend's aid, Species became a panther and swiped his wing temporarily grounding him. Josh watched Species trying to anticipate his next move. Josh wasn't sure if he could take on an animal shape shifter. Suddenly a thought came to him. His singing tended to charm people; maybe it could calm a savage beast. Josh began to sing and Species lay down and slept.

"I don't believe it. It worked," Josh cheered walking up to Species.

"Fooled you," Species said as he sprung up pinning Icarus to the ground.

"Well played," Icarus said as he vanished off the field.

Sparkles was glad to see Species win. She walked quickly to the ledge to pear over to make sure Prodigy was gone too. Just as she looked over a pair of boots swung up and knocked her back. Prodigy then swung himself back over the ledge. He had been lucky and grabbed a tree branch to keep from falling to his defeat. He got to his feet to find a panther running at him.

"You will pay for that," Sparkles said from behind him.

Prodigy saw her fingers moving and the sparkles forming. He instantly had his game plan. He timed it just right and dove to the ground. Just as he had hit the ground, Sparkles had released her powers and hit Species by accident sending him to parts unknown. Sparkles was about to scream in frustration when she found Prodigy in her face with his fist raised.

"You wouldn't dare hit a lady?" Sparkles smirked.

"You're no lady," David said as his fist connected with her face knocking her down.

David quickly bound her hands and feet so she could not use her powers properly. David smiled as Sparkles screamed at him as she vanished from sight. He was glad that he had won, but he felt bad at the loss if Josh. David then took off at a dead run across the field.

"We may have lost Josh, but I got Sparkles. Not sure if Species is out of it or not but keep an eye out. I'll find you all soon," David's voice came over the com.

Wind Dancer didn't have time to listen. She was in the middle of a forest fighting Bluefire and Penance. Josh had already been taken out. A new development in his powers came forth and he had accidentally killed Penance. It seems Josh can not only heal but also send a biological infection into a person's body. Being new, he couldn't control it and had given a large dose that killed instead of crippled. Instantly Josh was removed and Penance was brought back.

"You won't win," Bluefire said releasing electrical fire at her.

Sofia called forth her powers and the wind carried her up and out of the way. She knew she couldn't keep this up for long. She stood there for a moment trying to come up with a sound plan. It was times like these that she had to admit David would come in handy with a plan. She screamed as she saw Penance leaping up at her from one direction and electric fire coming at her from another.

"No!" Wind Dancer screamed as she felt a surge of power.

An uncontrollable force of wind came up and ripped a few tree from it's roots and sent them crashing down on her two opponents. She landed on the ground to see both of them pinned under two large trees. Sofia sighed as she saw Bluefire vanish and she headed out of the forest to find her teammates.

Just outside of the forest was large open grassland. Surge and Wallflower stood face to face with Tim and Tom. They were the only two members in the squads that refused to take a code name. They both had a bad attitude and always seemed to refuse to take orders from anyone. They had never seen their powers in action but rumor had it they were impressive.

"Ready to meet your match?" Tim asked.

"What exactly can you do?" Wallflower asked.

Tim and Tom smiled and then smacked each other's hands n a hard high five. At the moment of impact a large boom sounded. When the smoke cleared a giant dragon stood in its place. Surge swallowed hard at the sight of the creature. The dragon was not only impressive in size but it's scale color shifted colors constantly. The dragon bared its teeth and laughed.

"You see, Tim can take on dragon features while Tom can withstand the elements. They discovered that when they make contact their powers unite and can actually become a dragon that can control the elements," the dragon said.

"What now?" Laurie asked.

"Blast it," Surge said releasing her power on the dragon.

The dragon grunted at the impact of the electricity. Surge stared as the electricity gathered up around the dragon and then reformed in its mouth. The dragon then whipped its head as the electricity left its mouth and hit Laurie with enough force to knock her out of the game.

"Need some help?" Prodigy said from behind her.

Surge turned to see Prodigy and Sofia coming up behind her. David had run into Sofia in the forest. They had tried telling Surge they were on their way but she hadn't heard them since she was busy fighting the dragon. The dragon just stared at them smirking while they regrouped.

"Is that really Tim and Tom?" Sofia asked.

"Yeah. I had heard rumors about their powers but until now no one off their team had ever seen them use them. I suppose that was their ace in the hole for the competition," Prodigy said.

"Just you against the three of us," Surge shouted at the dragon.

"Wrong again," the dragon laughed as two figures came out of the forest behind the three New Mutants.

"I thought I defeated her," Wind Dancer said.

"She was pinned under the tree, but her razor sharp body saved her and in time sliced her way out," Species said taking on the form of a large lion.

"Sofia, wait," Prodigy yelled as Wind Dancer took to the air.

The wind suddenly lost control and a strong blast sent Sofia hard into a tree. She sat there for a moment before vanishing. Surge screamed and hit Species and Penance with a surge of power that caused them to fly back. She hit them again and this time Species vanished. The dragon laughed as the electricity vanished and then came back at them. David tackled Surge out of the way.

"Don't you learn. I control the elements. Wind Dancer's wind and your electricity. You will not win against my might," the dragon said.

"I have a plan," David as he suddenly learned things. "When I say now, let lose your powers."

David placed himself in front of the dragon's leg and taunted Penance. Taking the bait, Penance snarled and pounced at David. At the last minute David jumped out of the way letting Penance's momentum carry at the dragon's leg and slicing right threw it leaving a large gushing wound. The dragon screamed and then in a large boom became two boys.

"Now!" David screamed as Surge called forth her powers and hit the two brothers sending them away from each other. Surge's electricity blasts were enough to make Tim vanish and a few minutes later Tom.

"How did you know?" Surge said as she took her place next to David as Penance sat watching them.

"If they are gravely injured, by changing to and from the dragon they are instantly healed. I figured Penance was the only one able to slice through the dragon scales and the wound would force them to shift back. Looks like it worked," David smiled.

"What about her," Surge asked.

"Look, see that lake over there? She can't swim," Prodigy smiled.

Surge cut loose sending shock after shock at Penance. Soon she found herself in the middle of the lake. Prodigy, making sure she wouldn't drown, tossed a log out towards her to float upon. Trapped in the middle of a lake with no way out, she vanished. Surge jumped on David and gave him a big kiss as they suddenly found themselves standing in the middle of the danger room with the rest of the New Mutants.

"Congratulations! The winners of the Squad Tournament are the New Mutants!" Sam shouted over the intercom as almost everyone cheered.

"You guys got lucky," Hellion said as his team pushed by them later when everyone had gathered into the lunch room for a large celebratory feast.

"You're such a sore loser," David shouted back at him.

"You think you deserve this?" Hellion stopped and grabbed the trophy with his powers as the rest of the Hellions took his back.

"That is enough! We will not tolerate sore losers," Sam shouted as he grabbed the trophy and handed it back to the New Mutants.

"Manual, please escort the Hellions to their rooms. It seems young Julian here has decided that his team no longer wishes to take place in the celebration," Dani said as Empath took his mumbling team away.

"What are we going to do with them?" Dani asked.

"You would think some good would rub off with Emma gone," Sam smirked.

"Way to go. You kids did well. You deserved to win," Sam said as he shook David's hand and then headed off to his own team.

"I can't believe we did it," Laurie said.

"Makes a difference when you work as a team," Dani said as they all cheered again.

"Dani?" a voice sounded in her head.

"What is it?" Dani said recognizing the Cuckoo's voice.

"There's an emergency. Sam has run off to the main lobby. He has asked us to summon you immediately and to come quick and discretely," the Cuckoos said.

Dani excused herself and quickly made her way to the lobby. When she got there, the other squad teachers were standing there in shock. Dani made her way through to see Sam holding a severely injured Callisto with a handful of other mutants behind them. They too looked in grave need of medical attention.

"Sam. All that's left. Genosha destroyed. They attacked from no where. They took Paige," Callisto stuttered as she passed out in his arms leaving Sam in a state of severe panic.

**Next: Issue #8 – End Game – Part One**


	9. End Game Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #8 – End Game – Part One**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"How's everyone?" Sam asked as he walked into the infirmary.

An hour ago Callisto and a hand full of mutants from Genosha had appeared on their front door step. Before blacking out, Callisto had claimed that they had been attacked and that they were all that was left of Genosha and that Paige had been taken. He hadn't been able to get much more than that and would have to wait till everyone was ready to talk. It was hard to remain patient since that fate of his sister was in the balance. He almost felt like it was his fault since he knew there was something wrong with not being able to reach her and deciding not to do something sooner.

Their guests were in bad condition and Sam had them taken to the infirmary immediately. He had notified the staff right away and had them keep a tight seal on this. As far as the students knew that some guests arrived and that was it. He had psi-blocks fired up around the room to keep the mind readers out. Until he knew more, he didn't want the students in a panic or his mom and siblings to go off the edge about Paige.

As of right now, the school and students were under control and going about their business. He had Warlock, Skids, Tom Corsi, Luna and his mom keeping a watch over things till they got this figured out. Magma was taking care of their injured guests while the rest of the staff; Psyche, Karma, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Empath and Rictor assisted where they could. After taking one last tour and making sure Warlock had security tight he went to join the others.

"Everyone's going to survive," Amara said as she looked up at Sam.

"That's good to hear," Sam said looking around.

Everyone was sitting up and conscious. Thanks to Amara and Callisto's weird powers, all her tentacles had grown back from being burned off. Callisto had begun to tell them how they had survived. Thanks to Shola Inkose throwing up a tek shield at the last moment, Wicked, Freakshow, Karima Shapandar and Callisto had survived the blast that would have instantly killed them all without it. They had been lucky, unlike everyone else that had been on the island.

"I came to and saw we had all survived thanks to Shola. Karima then did a quick scan and we searched and Hub, Purge and Broadband were the only other three we could find alive. Those that weren't personally executed by these attackers had died in the island wide bomb that had went off," Callisto said.

"I fell bad. I wish I could have saved more. I knew Purge would be able to survive the blast and I had a split second to react. Broadband was the only one near me and at the last second I touched him and we teleported. A few seconds later when we reappeared a few feet away the damage from the blast had been done," Hub cried.

"Hub, there's nothing more you could have done. Hub and the other two came across us later. Broadband tried to contact Charles but all transmissions had been cut off. We couldn't reach him, so we had Hub bring us here," Callisto said.

"Couldn't reach Charles? Sam did something happen to the X-Men?" Wolfsbane asked.

"I don't know. I know I haven't heard from them but I didn't think it was anything important to report or panic about," Sam said.

"Sam, it is important. All this could have something to do with the loss of communication with the X-Men and your family being attacked and your sister being taken and Xavier's base island destroyed," Sunspot shouted.

"Calm down, everyone. We don't know yet if this is all connected or if Sam and his family are in danger," Dani said trying to calm everyone down.

"Dani, don't defend him. Sam isn't the only one. We all, including the students here could be in danger," Sunspot shouted back.

"Actually, Bobby is right. This is bigger than just Sam and his family," a voice came from the doorway. They all jumped to see a badly beaten man being supported by two women in the entryway. A third woman behind them held a small strange creature in her arms.

"Cable?" they all shouted at once.

"Yes, and we all need to talk. Something big is going down, but first me and my friend little friend here need some medical attention," Cable said in a strained voice as Sam and the others ran to help them.

_**Headquarters of the Gamesmaster**_

"They all in place?" The Gamesmaster asked as he appeared from thin air.

"Yes," MacTaggert said startled at the appearance of her partner.

"The Upstarts have done a great job. With what you had already acquired before I met you, plus what I coached you to get along with their prizes I now hold twenty-one of the second wave of future X-Men," the Gamesmaster laughed with joy.

"Yes, but what about the remaining candidates? You said we needed the thirty-one but how do we do that when two are unattainable, one is dead without being retrievable and the other ten are currently at Xaviers?" MacTaggert asked.

"True, Leech is dead and we can't find the body anywhere and Artie is with Salem-X, which we dare not attempt to penetrate. That is why we took M's two little sisters. They hold the right elements to take their lace. As for Gossamyr, she was never truly a member but held a connection," Gamesmaster said.

"Yes, but how do we get her from space?" MacTaggert asked.

"We can't, but that is why I tried to get the Cheney woman. She holds the elements to replace her in the device but since the remaining reside in Xavier's School I found a better option. Cheney can't be counted on to be around but Empath holds a closer match so he will be taken with the final ten," Gamesmaster said.

"How do we do that? There's no way we can take them from their own school, not yet anyway. You said, we need all thirty-one in order for the device to work and bring my friends back to me, even the ones already lost," MacTaggert asked.

"Yes, we do and when we do I will have the power needed to demolish the school and Charles. Then I will lead my new students to world domination," Gamesmaster laughed.

"Wait a minute. You said that the device would give them clarity and break free from Charles hold. That while you got the power you needed they would be able to start over with new normal lives," MacTaggert began to worry.

"That's what I said," Gamesmaster said as two images blurred over his face causing MacTaggert to grab her head in pain.

"Sorry, Gamesmaster. Blanked out for a minute. I asked how we get the final eleven then blanked out and missed the plan," MacTaggert said rubbing her temples.

"I left Cable and Callisto alive for a reason with a trail. He, with Sam will bring most of the ones we need to a trap I've setup. We with no doubt with require all our targets. If any others, like Cable live through it will get back to Xaviers to find out that they like the residence of the school are too late to stop my second plan," Gamesmaster said.

"And that is?" MacTaggert asked.

"My infiltrators, while the others are our chasing a trap, will have easily snuck in and out with our remaining few candidates without notice," Gamesmaster laughed as he left the lab leaving MacTaggert to finish tending to the device for it's final occupants.

Gamesmaster stood outside the lab and looked into the mirror. An odd image looked back. "That trick cost us, especially in our weaken state."

"We had too. Can't have MacTaggert knowing our full intentions now can we?" Gamesmaster asked his reflection and then vanished from site.

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students – Secured Conference Room**_

After Cable and company arrived they tended to their medical needs before anything further was discussed. Once everyone had a clean bill of health or close enough to it, Sam, after reminding Cable who was in charge, called a secret emergency meeting. They had to compare notes and decide a plan of action.

Cannonball, knowing the importance or this meeting had all staff members attend. Karma, Psyche, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Magma, Empath, Rictor, Warlock, Skids and Tom Corsi took their seats. He had told his mom they were having a regular staff meeting for an hour or so and that he would need her and Luna to keep an eye on things for him. He wasn't ready to worry his mom or his siblings about the situation.

Joining them was Callisto and her companions Shola, Karima, Wicked, Freakshow, Hub, Purge and Broadband. Cable took a seat next to Sam as his companions, Domino, Irene Merryweather and Blaquesmith took seats with the others. Knowing that something big was coming, Lila Cheney had vanished and brought back her best friend Guido, the Strong Guy. Jamie Madrox had returned with them since Guido and the missing Siryn were his future business partners.

Sam started the meeting by retelling the attack on his family. Callisto and her team recounted the attack on Genosha. Cable nodded and then he updated them on what had happened to them from the message the X-Force members had all received to the discovery of the battle site to the attack on them that led them to the mansion. Cable made sure every detail was described and then he used his powers and the computer in the room to confirm what they knew.

"It appears they call themselves the Upstarts and part of sick game. Now we are dealing with seven dangerous individuals. Especially since they have achieved what they have so far. Their perfect team work and accomplishment leads me to believe someone bigger is behind their attacks," Cable said.

"Any ideas who?" Dani asked.

"It could be anyone. We all have many enemies but at least we know whom the Upstarts consist of. Sentinel's description from all the attacks confirms that Chester Cabot's attack on the Guthrie farm is part of their game and confirms his identity as Sentinel," Cable said.

"Yes, and it seams our old fiend Black Tom, with better-controlled powers is on the team too," Cannonball swore.

"What about the old strange guy?" Irene asked.

"From the description you guys gave, that would be Frederick Animus the Ani-Mator," Dani said.

"How do you know that?" Domino asked.

"I will never forget that description. I was there when he shot and killed Doug Ramsey. Trust me, he may be old but he is dangerous," Rahne growled as she and her fellow New Mutants recalled that dreadful day back from their early years.

"We also have confirmed that Emma's sister Adrianne is back posing as their new White Queen. Also, Stryfe is back. I did get a strange metal reading but was then lashed back. I'm not positive but I believe my son Tyler is somehow alive and wearing the Stryfe armor," Cable said as Domino gave him a soft look.

"Looks like their King Bedlam is actually Jesse's brother Christopher. What about the man in armor calling himself Pierce?" Domino said.

"We have all confirmed that the man was basically a cyborg and I will bet anything we are somehow dealing with a very much alive Donald Pierce," Cable said.

"It looks like that all seven of these Upstarts are past enemies that have real grudges against, not only the X-Men but specifically against us younger generation of X-Men," Sam said.

"Which might mean that the person behind them, this game master, is someone with an even bigger grudge against us," Dani said.

"You think that we're specifically being targeted?" Sunspot asked.

"You better believe it. Cable, Blaquesmith has finished using the laptop to control and check the data you wanted," Irene said.

"Go ahead, buddy," Cable nodded.

"Jubilee, Chamber and Gaia have gone missing. I have also received confirmation that the St. Croix home has been attacked. The twins and M are missing while the rest of the family were found dead," Blaquesmith said.

"It's confirmed, anyone associated with New Mutants, X-Force and Generation X are being targeted. Those of us in this room and the student Penance are all that remain," Domino said looking over info on the laptop.

"What do we do next? How do we find them?" Sam asked beginning to get impatient.

"Well, Domino found this computer chip at the battle scene. We're hoping we can use it to somehow track them," Cable said.

"Hey, that almost looks like the piece of Sentinel armor I managed to find after the attack on Genosha," Broadband said as he held up his piece and then reached out taking the chip.

Once Broadband took the chip, the Sentinel armor piece and the chip flared with light and then his powers kicked in, as his face became a screen. Suddenly a broadcast was being shown. They could see Sentinel flying towards a volcano as his voice could be heard.

"This is Sentinel. I've returned to base, please give me clearance," Sentinel said.

"You're cleared to enter," another voice said.

"Thanks, and how are the prisoners we just brought?"

"They're secured in the devise and ready for," the voice said and then the transmission ended and Broadband turned to normal.

"Wait, get them back!" Sam screamed.

"I can't," Broadband said.

"Sam, calm down. I recognize that place. It's the island of Maui," Magma said.

"We have them then. We know the location of where they're hiding them. Let's go get them!" Sam screamed.

"Wait, Sam. We'll go but we need to make a game plan. Remember they're still after the rest of you and who knows what they plan for the school," Cable said.

"I agree," Dani said.

"Okay, let's form a game plan of our own. It's time for their game to end," Sam said pounding his fist into his hand.

_**Epilogue**_

"Oh no!" Wallflower screamed.

"What is it?" Icarus asked looking at his teammate.

"I didn't mean to, but I some how was able to listen in on that secret meeting. They just sent a team off to go save your sister Paige and other missing mutants," Sofia said.

"What? That can't be. My brother wouldn't keep something like that from me. Tell me all you heard," Josh began to tremble.

"It's true, and my sister here just had a vision that the team is headed in the wrong direction," Sarah said as she and her sister Jessica walked up to them.

"Looks like we have a lot to talk about. Hurry, let's get the others!" Josh shouted as he grabbed the three girls and they ran off.

**Next: Issue #9 – End Game – Part Two**


	10. End Game Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #9 – End Game – Part Two**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"I wish you'd let me go with you, Sam," Dani said looking at Sam.

"I'm sorry, Dani. The only thing I agree with Cable on is that you stay here. We're both responsible for this school and its students. Even though we both have friends in danger, I have to go after them and my sister. I need you to stay here and watch over this school," Sam, the headmaster of Xaviers said.

"I know, but I hate to stay behind while you all head off towards danger," Dani said wiping her watery eyes.

"The school may still be in danger. An attack could still come, that's why I want you here and Cable is leaving Domino and Blaquesmith behind. It'll be up to you guys and Karma, Empath and Warlock to protect this school," Sam said touching her cheek.

"I know. Be careful and be safe," Dani said as Sam wiped a tear from her face and headed off towards the others.

Dani was starting to feel stressed. Not only did she have to worry about Sam and the others but also defending a school full of kids from a possible attack. To top it off, she had to keep Sam's mom and siblings from finding out about Paige and the rescue mission. It was a lot to handle, but she would do it for them and Sam.

Dani looked one last time at Sam as he stood next to Cable. Along with Lila Cheney and Hub as needed teleporters they were taking Callisto, Guido, Madrox, Karima, Shola, Sunspot, Magma, Rictor, Wolfsbane and Skids. They would be quite the power force, but they would need it to take on the Upstarts and rescue their captives. Dani walked away as the fourteen mutants vanished form sight. She just hoped that they would all make it back.

"Dani, we need to form a security plan," Domino said walking up to the Headmistress.

"I know. I'll meet you and the others in my office in a few. I need to check on the students," Dani lied. She still needed a moment to herself.

Dani headed down the hall as the others headed in the opposite direction. As she rounded the corner she bumped into Surge. She looked to be in a panic and was moving at a fast speed.

"What's the hurry, Noriko?" Dani asked.

"I need to speak with you and Sam real quick," Surge said.

"Sam and a few others left on a little mission, but you can talk to me," Dani said.

"They left?" Surge said swearing that she was too late.

"Yes, what's wrong?" Dani asked.

"Nothing, I got to go. We can talk later," Surge said as she zipped off at super speed.

"Was I ever that young and weird?" Dani chucked as she headed off to her meeting.

"I was too late. They already left," Surge said as she zipped into David's room.

"I told you. My vision showed them teleporting out and going to the wrong place," the mutant known as Preview said.

"Well, its up to us. We don't have time to inform Dani. According to Preview, if we leave now we can make it to the real location and save my sister and the others," Icarus said growing impatient.

"Then let's go," Elizabeth Guthrie said walking into the room with the rest of her squad.

"Elizabeth, what are they doing with you? I only told you because you are the next oldest and I felt you should know. We can't sneak everyone out," Josh shouted.

"Josh, my squad was a special missions team being trained by Gambit before he left. If your squad goes so does mine. I feel that were gonna need them," Elizabeth said.

"And us too," Jebediah Guthrie said stepping into the room followed by his sister Joelle.

"How dare you not tell us that Paige was in trouble," Joelle shouted.

"How?" Jay said knowing full well that Jessica Vale had blabbed to her secret crush, who in turn told his sister.

"You can't go," Elizabeth and David said in unison.

"You need us. I pack some great power and Joelle's power can mask us getting out and going in," Jebediah said.

"Plus, we'll tell mom," Joelle glared.

"She's right. We can use her. Between her and Network we'll have an advantage," Sofia said.

"Fine," Josh glared at his younger siblings.

We need to move out now, before it's too late," David said as the New Mutants, Mutant Force, Preview, Network, Blindspot and Bluefire headed out.

Blindspot used her powers to mask their exit into the hanger. Network then used her powers to take control of the security and help get them on an X-Jet. Within minutes, with the combination of Blindspot and Network's powers they had the X-Jet into the air and headed off to the location Preview gave them without anyone detecting them. They were all scared but knew they would get the job done.

**_Maui_**

"Be ready," cable shouted as they appeared in what looked like a thick forest at the base of a volcano.

"Something doesn't seem right," Sam said looking around.

"We're not alone," Wolfsbane growled sniffing the air.

"You are correct, X-Men wanna-bes," a man's voice boomed from atop a ledge.

"I'd know that smell anywhere. That's Ani-Mator," Rahne growled.

"Ah, I think I know you. Didn't I kill your boyfriend all those years ago?" Ani-Mator laughed.

"Rahne, stay put," Sam said as Magma and Sunspot helped hold their wolf shaped friend back.

"Hand over the mutants and we'll let you live," Cable shouted.

"Even if they were actually here, I would never give them over to you," the Ani-Mator smirked.

"He's right. They're not here. We've been led into a trap. Lila, quickly," Cable shouted.

Before Lila could move a blast hit her sending her into a tree. Jamie Madrox knelt down and confirmed that she was alive but unconscious. At that same moment a wave of monster like creatures jumped out of the trees and attacked the mutants. Hub, taken by surprise was grabbed and smashed head first into the ground knocking her out too.

"My minions, their teleporters are out of commission. Kill them," Ani-Mator commanded.

They all went into action. Callisto, moving with speed and precision took out monster after monster as did Guido and Madrox. The monsters didn't stand a chance against the powers of Cable, Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma, Rictor and the others. In a matter of moments the twelve mutants stood facing the Ani-Mator.

"Cable, we need to get back to the school. If this is a trap, then something worse must be going on at the school," Skids said.

"We have to make him tell us where Paige and the others are," Sam said as his anger started to get the best of him.

"Oh, trust me. You are not going anywhere. Finish them!" Ani-Mator shouted.

The band of mutants looked around as they suddenly saw hundreds of shapes started to come into view. They were now completely surrounded by these monster like creatures. At the Ani-Mator's command, this massive force charged the mutants who now took to the defensive. Sam glanced at Cable as they began the fight for their lives.

**_Xaviers School for the Gifted_**

"I wish they would have let us go along," Wicked grumbled as she thirst for payback.

"It's better off we stay here," Purge said.

"I can't believe you didn't put up an argument to go," Freakshow said to Broadband.

"Look at what they did to our home. I think letting the powerhouses go was the better plan," Broadband said pacing back and forth on the front lawn of the Xavier Institute.

"Why are you acting funny?" Wicked asked the pacing Broadband.

"Just worried about the others and missing our home and friends," Broadband said and then stopped.

Broadband stood there as he felt a transmission coming in. He knew what he had to do and he hated it. He had to do what he had to do to survive, plus it was the X-men's fault that he lost everything to begin with. Broadband's face turned into a monitor as weird transmissions began to go out.

"Broadband, what are you doing?" Wicked asked suddenly worried.

A small click went off as the front gates opened. Freakshow glanced at Wicked as they realized Broadband had jumbled the security system at the front gate and had just let two figures in. As the figures approached they saw the form of the White Queen and Pierce, two of their attackers from the island.

"Broadband, what are you doing?" Wicked said as Purge sucker punched Freakshow sending him flying into the side of the school knocking him out cold.

'Sorry, Wicked. We know who's going to win this game and we chose the winning side to survive," Purge said as he walked towards Wicked.

"I got to warn the others," Wicked said as she stepped back calling forth her powers.

"I don't think so," Broadband said as his face became a monitor and Wicked grabbed her head and then collapsed to the ground.

"What did you do?" Purge asked as the White Queen and Pierce reached the front doors.

"My secondary mutation. I can send transmissions that can cause interference. Like shutting down security systems or telling a person's brain to shut down and go into a deep coma," Broadband said as he turned to their two masters and gave a full report of the school then switched to monitor mode.

"Gamesmaster, we're ready to infiltrate the school. We were just informed that Penance is here," White Queen said through Broadband.

"I see. Capture the ones called Psyche, Karma and Warlock. Penance is but an empty shell of the Croix sisters. Bring in Empath or Penance, which ever one is easier to acquire," Gamesmaster said and then vanished form Broadband's face.

The four walked through the mansion's front doors. They were met by Lisa Green and Tim and Tom the mutants known as Sparkles and Giant Dragon. Purge stepped up to take them out when White Queen stopped him.

"Don't worry. They're with us," White Queen said.

"We better hurry. I didn't join this school for nothing. I want to complete the mission and get out of here," Sparkles said.

"What's going on here?" Warlock and Tom Corsi said as they came running into the entryway.

"Take Warlock quickly, the other has no powers," Adrianne commanded.

Pierce's arm shifted into a gun and fired a blast at Warlock. Warlock squealed as he dropped out cold to the floor. Purge slammed his fist into the side of Tom's head knocking him out cold. Sparkles quickly ran to Warlock's side. With the help of Broadband she used her powers to teleport Warlock out of the room and back to the Upstart's hideout.

"Let's move on. We have a few more to acquire, I wont to get this done before the whole school is alerted to our presence," Pierce said as the pressed on.

"Miss Manh. Help!" Species shouted running into Xi'an's office in a panic.

"Peter, what's going on?" Karma asked as she and Luna jumped to their feet.

"Me and Penance couldn't find Jeb, so we went to look for Lisa. When we found her, she, Tim, Tom and those new kids Purge and Broadband were escorting two evil looking people. When I questioned what they were doing, they all attacked us. I escaped just as I saw them take out Penance and then Sparkles and Broadband made Penance vanish," Peter said huffing and puffing.

"What? That can't be," Karma said as a blast hit Luna in the side sending her backwards.

"Oh it can. Just never know whom to trust," White Queen said as she held a smoking gun as Sparkles and the others walked in after her.

"Luna!" Xi'an screamed as she knelt down next to Luna. Blood was soaking through Luna's hands from where she held her side.

"Sorry about your girlfriend, but we do have to get going," Adrianne said as they advanced on Karma.

**_Upstart's Hideout_**

"Nice flying," Sarah said to Prodigy as Surge glared at her.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just used my powers on one of the teachers so I could learn to fly this," Prodigy blushed as he landed the X-Jet.

"Are you sure we should be going in there?" Network said starting to get nervous about all the rules they have just broken on top of going on this dangerous mission.

"We have to or my sister may die," Bluefire shouted as his siblings all nodded.

"Okay, here's what we do," Prodigy began.

"Hey, you put you in charge?" Giantess asked.

"I'm squad leader," Prodigy said.

"Of your team. I'm a squad leader too and that's my sister in there," Giantess shouted.

"Hey, we are all going to have to work together if we're going to succeed," Sofia said.

"I agree. Liz, David's smart. Follow his lead, please for Paige's sake?" Icarus pleaded.

"Okay, for now," Giantess said.

"Preview, you'll stay here. Blindspot and Network will help get us into the hideout undetected. Once in, we'll search out the place and find Paige and the others," David said as he went into more detail about their plan of attack.

The two squads along with network, Blindspot and Bluefire made their way into the base. They were shocked at how easy it was to get in undetected. Shortly David lead them to a computer console where he and Network were able to find a map to where thee prisoners were being held.

"We've been lucky so far, but we're going to have to move fast. I think we can get to the lab without detection," Prodigy said.

"You think?" A voice asked from behind them.

They all turned to see Black Tom, Stryfe, King Bedlam and Sentinel standing behind them. Wind Dancer started call forth her powers when Sentinel blasted her with a series of shots sending her backwards. X-23 leapt into the air but was sent flying backward through the wall as Stryfe invoked his powers.

"We need to move and go on the offensive and fast," Prodigy said as he suddenly dropped and flopped on the ground as King Bedlam had invoked his powers and caused David to lose control of his motor functions.

"You kids are no where ready for the big leagues. Kill them!" Black Tom shouted.

The young mutants gasped as the Upstarts attacked calling forth and firing off all their powers and weapons directly at them with the intent to end their lives.

**Next: Issue #10 – End Game – Part Three**


	11. End Game Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #10 – End Game – Part Three**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

In a flash of light, eight figures appeared out of thin air on the front lawn of Xavier's School. Cable, the leader of this group looked worse for wear. He was very moody. Not because he had gotten the crap beat out of him by a bunch of monsters, but because he had lead a team of fourteen and had lost six of them to the monsters. It seemed that the monsters had attacked them to distract them enough to kidnap Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma, Rictor, Wolfsbane and Skids. If he hadn't forced Lila and Hub awake to teleport them out, the eight of them would have ended up dead

He looked at is surviving team. Lila and Hub were winded but would be okay. Guido was fine as always but Madrox was still regaining is composure from the death of a few of his dups. Shola and Callisto were a little black and blue but they would be fine. Karima was pretty beaten up but would be okay once her sentinel systems finished their repairs on her body. He was glad they were all alive but he hates that the Anti-Mator had gotten the best of them; gotten the best of him. Someone had provided Anti-Mator with a devise that had messed with his mental powers, otherwise the outcome of that battle would have ended differently.

He led his team into the school and began to sense a presence of panic. He looked and saw students running and carrying on. He knew immediately the school had been attacked. He had to find Domino and assess the damage and casualties if any. He instructed Callisto to take the team to the Infirmary, he would find Dani and Domino and find out what had happened here and try and break the news of what had happened to his team.

After a few minutes he located Domino. She had the Cuckoos hooked up to Cerebro. They were trying to find the location of where the Upstarts had taken their friends. The Cuckoos had already informed her that Cable and what was left of his team were back. Cable wasn't surprised, the Cuckoos were mentally strong and Dom was a quick and smart thinker. Cable quickly filled in the remaining details of what had happened to his team.

"We should have known it was a trap," Domino said.

"Hard to be sure when insiders are feeding us the pieces to the trap," Cable said thinking of Broadband and his just happening to find that clue to help them.

Domino had relayed to him what had taken place at the mansion after they had left. Broadband and Purge had switched sides and let the invaders in. What was most disheartening was having three students turn out to be implanted traitors. Giant Dragon, Tim and Tom and Sparkles, Lisa Green had been just that. Gathering up information and giving the Upstarts what they needed to get into the mansion and take the mutants they needed and get out with ease and speed.

"What about casualties?" Cable asked as he watched the Cuckoos work.

"None, yet. Broadband had used his powers to put several students into comas, including Wicked. Blaquesmith and few students with psi powers are helping bring them back," Domino said with sadness in her eyes.

"Domino, what is it? There's some critically injured?" Cable said swearing not being able to know more immediately. His mental powers had not come back to full strength after being hit with Anti-Mator's devise and using what energy he had left to wake the teleporters.

"White Queen and Pierce came in with guns and instructed the use of force to get what they wanted. We have some students who were shot and badly injured. Most will be okay but there are a few we have stabilized but could die if we don't get them a healer soon," Domino said as she began to follow Cable out the door.

"Who?" Cable said running towards the Infirmary. His powers had helped him pick up enough to know someone close was in there.

"Luna, Tom, Anole, Match and Irene," Domino said softening her voice with the last name.

"Irene? How bad?" Cable said stopping briefly and looking at Domino.

"They're all bad, Nathan. She took a shot in the chest pushing Blaquesmith out of the way," Domino said as she sprinted to keep up with a fast moving Cable.

"What about the healers?" Nathan said as they entered the Infirmary. He scanned the room saw his short old friend and his team working on the coma victims and they other injured.

"Only ones with the level ability we need are Magma and Elixir and both are gone," Domino said as Cable finally found Irene and ran to her side. Domino cringed at the sense of jealousy she suddenly felt, but shoved it away.

"What do you mean gone?" Cable asked as he held Irene's hand.

"As I told you before, Magma was taken with Dani, Warlock, Penance, Karma and Empath," Domino said.

"What about the kid, Elixir?" Cable said looking up.

"It appears he, along with the rest of the New Mutants, Mutant Force and the students known as Preview, Network, Jebediah Guthrie and Joelle Guthrie have stolen a jet and have headed off to rescue the kidnapped mutants," Domino said.

"Great! Now we have them to worry about losing too. Callisto," Cable called out.

"She's gone. She has headed to the sewers to find Healer," Guido said.

"Always ahead of the game," Cable nodded then paused as the Cuckoos sent information into his mind. "Suit up. We have the location of the Upstarts."

"With what team, Nathan? Lila and Guido are the only two in good enough condition to go back into battle," Lucinda said trying to hold together the best she could knowing most of her children were in harms way.

"You have us," Hellion said as he and his team stepped into the room.

"No, we can't take a group of kids," Domino said.

"We're not kids. Out of all the squads we're the best. Emma trained us and we can do the job," Hellion said.

"As much as I hate to do it, he's right. Blaquesmith, Lucinda and Callisto when she gets back will watch over the school. Domino, take the Hellions, Lila and Guido to one of the jets. I'll join you here in a few minutes," Cable said as he knelt down one last time by Irene.

Domino grunted a little as she led the group out of the room taking a few glances back at Nathan with Irene.

_**Upstart's Headquarters**_

"How are the others?" Surge asked as she hit King Bedlam with a powerful blast of electricity.

"Prodigy and Wind Dancer are back in the game thanks to you and Elixir," Wallflower said.

"We need to take these creeps down and find the others," Giantess said growing tall and launching a stone pillar at Stryfe who in turn batted it to the side with his mind.

The battle raged as Prodigy and Giantess shouted off commands. Sixteen against four seemed like good odds but sixteen was barely enough to hold their ground against these strong foes. They had to protect Wallflower and Blindspot for their powers were all that was keeping King Bedlam from using his mental powers. Their powers were just enough to make him not think straight to focus them on one person.

X-23 made it past the others and sliced Sentinels armor causing it to start sparking. As Network was able to take control of his suit and shut it down. With the rest of their powers they were starting to get the upper hand. Prodigy was feeling good. They may just win this one. At his signal hey went to phase two. Network, Wind Dancer, Elixir, Icarus and Giantess snuck off to find the missing mutants while the rest of them distracted the Upstarts.

"Who needs the X-Men. Look t us go," Onyxx cheered as he punched Black Tom sending him backwards.

"X-Men you are not," a voice shouted as a gun shot was heard.

They all looked up to see Pierce, Ani-Mator and White Queen holding a smoking gun standing in the doorway. It appeared that al of the Upstarts were now present. Prodigy was about to give more commands when he and the rest of the team realized something. The gunshot meant a bullet had gone somewhere. They all gasped in shock as Rain Boy stood there with a hole in his sits head.

Rain Boy leaked out of his suit and onto the floor. Black Tom quickly let loose his powers burning the liquid form of Rain Boy until he evaporated into nothing. The upstarts had just killed one of their friends. No one could move as members of Mutant Force screamed with tears. Before the Upstarts could engage again, a giant glowing face of the Gamesmaster appeared before them.

"Attention Upstarts. Five hundred points for each mutant killed. When all are dead, the one with the most points will win the final game," Gamesmaster said and then vanished.

Prodigy and his team prepared themselves for the slaughter when the side of the wall blew in. They all turned to see Cable and several others sanding in the new entryway.

"Calvary has arrived. Take them out and take them fast," Cable said as he went straight for Stryfe.

_**Secret Laboratory of MacTaggert **_

"Are we ready?" Gamesmaster asked as he looked at MacTaggert.

"Yes, everyone is placed in a tube. All is a go," MacTaggert said as she eyed thirty-two bodies. They had decided to add the extra for good measure.

"Then activate the machine," Gamesmaster said MacTaggert threw the switch and the machine came to life.

"Yes, I can feel the power. Soon I will absorb the life energies of all thirty-two mutants to give me a new body and the means to kill the X-Men," Gamesmaster said as all the tubes began to glow bright red.

"What? You said that the machine would bring back my friends and just brainwash the others into following you. You never said anything about them all dieing and you getting a new body," MacTaggert screamed realizing she had been used.

"Naive to the end, Mona MacTaggert," the Gamesmaster said as a wall vanished revealing a near dead crippled body in a wheelchair.

"Cassandra Nova? I won't let you do this to me or my friends. You promised," Mona said as she went for the off switch.

"Mona, you dare help the team founded by my brother, the man who did what he did to you and your friends and the others? The same man who set your sister, Moira upon the path that led to her death?" The image of Gamesmaster said as he floated over the glowing body of Cassandra Nova and then using his powers to paralyze Mona.

"I," Mona began but realized she could no longer form words.

"You were naive. I knew of my brother's involvement with the others and you and your friends. I was going to use you in a different way so I implanted the ideas for you to save the New Mutants and Gen X members as they thought they had died. Even to get the bodies of the ones that had actually died.

"After my brother had managed to kill me, I did manage to survive secretly and kept my crippled body in hiding. That's when I met the Shadow King and we formed a plan to work together. The plan to convince you to continue to help me under the assumption that the Gamesmaster could bring back your friends when all along our plan was to use the thirty-two to give us each new bodies," Gamesmaster laughed as his face shifted from Cassandra to Shadow King and back and then vanished as the machine went into the final phase.

"Don't worry we wont let them win," Giantess said as her team came into the room.

"No," Cassandra screamed from within the glowing tube she now sat in as Network began to take control of the machine to shut it down as Shadow King used what energy he had to try and reach her.

"Don't worry boss. We'll kill the, for you," Tim and Tom said as they became a giant dragon and rushed the small band of mutants with Sparkles, Purge and Broadband right behind them.

_**Upstarts Battle**_

The battle at hand had kicked them into focus. They would have time to mourn for Rain Boy later. Now was the time to put an end to the Upstarts once and for all. Hellion and his team took charge against Prodigy's mumblings. Hellion used his powers to throw Pierce backwards. Prodigy still couldn't believe that Justin Pierce was a member of the upstarts. He was suppose to be an ally and had even dated Dani a few times.

King Bedlam turned and began to reach out to Hellion's mind. The death of their team mate had weakened the girl's hold on him. He almost had it when Rockslide's fist flew at him and hit him in the face. He rubbed his head to look at the arm attach back upon the rock-like kids body. He was about to get up when X-23 made a slicing motion.

"That's for Rain Boy," X-23 said as King Bedlam's head came off his body.

"X-Men don't kill!" Prodigy and Cable both shouted at the girl as Cable reached out with his powers to push her back away from her prey.

"But we do," Stryfe said as he used his mind to grab the distracted Cable and throw him into the wall.

"I felt your mind. I know it's you, Tyler. I don't know how you came back from the grave but I won't let you're evil kill again," Cable said grabbing hold of Stryfe and pinning him to the wall.

"You have no clue," Stryfe said trying to counter Cable's hold.

Cable pushed out with his mind with all the force he could. In a scream of pain, Stryfe's ripped right off revealing his face. Cable gasped as he saw a woman's face beneath the mask. This woman was not Tyler but she did look like him and more like Tyler's mother. Who was this woman pretending to be Stryfe? The distraction was enough for the woman to push out and slam Cable to the ground.

"Who are you?" Cable asked as he reached out with his mind to find a familiar psyche.

"Don't you know your own daughter?" The woman asked pinning the shocked Cable with more force.

"What?" Cable asked not knowing what to say.

"Yes, mom was pregnant. She had someone mask it from your sight so she could continue to follow you in battle. When I was born she gave me to another to care until your war was over. After your neglect killed her and you vanished Tyler came back and found me and helped raise me.

"He told me how you led mom to her death. I chose to follow him vowing when I got old enough I would help him. He found a way to travel back in time and told me tales of you and your evil X-Men. I wasn't completely convinced till the day my husband went back in time with Tyler and didn't come back.

"Tyler told me you had killed him. I wanted to go back with him the last time he went but he wouldn't let me. I waited for years and Tyler never came back. I soon found a means to go back after him. When I arrived here I landed in a hidden base of Tyler's. There I learned you and your evil X-Men had killed him. First mom, then my husband and now my brother.

"I vowed to watch and plot your death when the Gamesmaster came to me with a deal I couldn't refuse," Cable's daughter shouted as Cable touched her mind and found her words true as well as her name.

"Tosha, what he told you were all lies. You have to believe me," Cable said as he pushed his mind onto hers to help her see the truth.

"No!" Tosha screamed as she suddenly saw the truth in her mind. The woman dropped and began to cry hysterically.

"Lila, get her out of here," Cable said as Lila vanished with his new found daughter.

"We're down by two," Ani-Mator said with fear.

"Means more points for the rest of us," White Queen laughed.

"They're mostly kids. Come on now," Black Tom said as he sent a powerful blast from his stick hitting Blindspot in the face.

"My face, it burns," Joelle screamed holding her head in her hands.

"She's burnt pretty bad," Prodigy shouted out to the others.

"Cable, we need get these kids out of here," Domino said trying to get Cable's head back in the game.

"We can handle our own," Tag said as he touched Sentinel and sent him running in the opposite direction.

Dust engulfed the running man so he couldn't see causing him to run into a wall. The Hellions gave out a cheer as they smiled at their team's wining moves. Despite Domino's shouts for them to fall in line they chose to follow their own commands and it was working out just fine. They didn't need to follow, the others needed to follow their lead.

The Hellions were the best, so Hellion thought until he accidentally pushed a pillar near Flubber tripping him. Flubber got up swearing to come face to face with Pierce. Pierce morphed his arms into giant needles and lunged them into Flubber's body. Giant volts of electricity sailed through Flubber's body until he dropped to the ground lifeless and smoking. Hellion gasped at the sight and grabbed pierce throwing him back away from the dead student.

"Looks like your young students aren't as trained as you thought," Block Tom laughed at Domino as she kicked him in the face.

Prodigy couldn't believe it. Two fellow students had been killed. His team was in shock, while what was left of Mutant Force was either in great shock or boiling with killing rage. He shouted out to Cable with a warning but was too late. Onyxx had thrown X-23 plunging her into the back of Sentinel. She was thrown off of him by Cable's powers to reveal the bleeding holes in his back.

"She killed another one. She has to be controlled," Surge said to Prodigy.

"Yeah, but is it wrong to feel like he got what he deserved?" Bluefire asked.

"Yes, no matter what he did to your family it doesn't give us the right to take a life," Prodigy said.

"Yeah, and that's why your dieing while the Hellions prevail by fighting to survive," Hellion said using his powers to block bullets from Pierce's hands from hitting them.

"Cable we need to remove her," Domino said.

"No. As much as I hate it, it's them or us right now and she is giving us an advantage. Just help me keep an eye on her so she doesn't kill again," Cable said using his powers to throw Black Tom across the room.

"Maybe I can calm her," Wallflower said as then stopped.

"Time to die," Ani-Mator said pointing a gun at her.

"Kevin, help," Wallflower screamed as she saw Wither near by.

Without a moments hesitation Kevin had his hand on Ani-Mator. Before Ani-Mator could even think about pulling the trigger he had become a pile of ashes. Laurie gasped at the site of what Kevin had just done. She turned to him with water in her eyes but scared and grateful.

"Did I make you do that?" She whispered.

"No. I had to do what was needed to save you," Kevin said not really sure if he was telling the truth or not.

"Well, it won't work twice," White Queen aid pointing her gun at Kevin and pulling the trigger.

"No!" Mercury screamed shoving Kevin out of the way taking the bullet herself.

Everyone screamed in fear as Mercury lay on the ground. After a few moments, she rolled over as her body shifted and the bullet dropped to the ground from her side.

"Wow, it worked," Mercury said as Kevin helped her up and Rockslide hit the Queen with two flying fists.

"Okay, let's wrap this up and find the others," Cable said as he and Domino took down Black Tom while Surge and Bluefire took down Pierce with additional help from the others.

_**Secret Laboratory of MacTaggert **_

Giantess knew that they had been battle for far too long. They needed to take these guys down and fast. She knew Network had stopped the machine's process but was still trying to find a way to shut it off. Cassandra and Shadow King were using what energy they had to hold down Mona and keep a shield around the device. Luckily Network's powers didn't' need for her to actually touch the machine.

"How could you do this?" Elixir asked Sparkles.

"Easy, they offer more than the X-Men ever could. Money and great power," Sparkles said as she almost caught Elixir in her teleporting sparkles.

Elixir had her distracted when Icarus flew up behind her and hit her over the head with a steel rod he had found. Sparkles hit the ground hard. Elixir ran up and placed his hands on her head. He called forth his powers with enough to heal her wounds keeping her unconscious but alive.

With a loud thump they all turned to see Giantess putting down Giant Dragon. The dragon vanished and two unconscious boys took its place. It wasn't long before Wind Dancer was able to use her wind powers to hit Broadband hard enough against the wall to knock him out too. Purge surrendered immediately and in a matter of moments they had all four tied and bound.

"I did it the machine is off," Network said as the tubes and Cassandra's body quit glowing in a loud explosion.

Network used her powers to open one tube. Sam Guthrie fell out. Elixir ran to his side and placed his hands on him as Mona got to her feet and walked over to Cassandra's body. In a matter of moments Sam woke up coughing. Elizabeth gave her brother a big hug as she quickly caught him up to speed.

"Cassandra Nova and Shadow King were behind this?" Sam said looking over to the body.

"She's dead. You guys did it," Mona said dropping the limp arm.

"Wrong," a voice shouted as a figure shattered a tube and jumped out hitting the floor.

For a brief moment they saw the form of the X-Force member known as Gaia. Then the figure shifted to a shadowy color making it hard to make out a face. The figure turned and faced the others.

"Is that Gaia or Cassandra?" Sam asked to no one in particular.

"Neither. The machine was stopped before it could create two bodies but it was on long enough to create me. The machine took this body and merged it with the other two. Gaia, Cassandra Nova and Shadow King are dead. In their place now stands Shadow Nova. Prepare to die," Shadow Nova said but then paused.

"No powers?" Sam said shooting at the figure.

"It appears so or they haven't powered up yet," Shadow Nova gasped as Cannonball was almost upon her.

Sam collided with a wall as in a flash of sparkling lights she was gone. They all turned to see that Sparkles and the others were gone. They had escaped, but at least they had stopped them for now.

"Let's get our friends out of those tubes and go home," Sam said as Network began to call forth her powers.

"You must forgive me and take me with you," Mona said in tears.

"Why would we help you?" Sam asked the woman who appeared not that much older then him.

"Because I have information that will not only explain why I did what I did but it will also show you who your real family is," Mona said smiling.

Before Sam could respond Cable and his crew came walking in. They all swapped stories as Cable and Domino helped Network free the remaining thirty from their tubes. They may have saved the day but there would be a lot to deal with once they got home.

_**Epilogue**_

"Their freeing the other's from the tubes and they will be heading back here soon," Preview said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. She didn't handle death well.

"That's good to hear," Lila said as she kept an eye on the weeping Tosha.

"No!" Preview suddenly screamed as she went in and out of a trance.

"What is it? Did you have a vision like the one you were telling me about?" Lila asked.

"I saw a storm. It's bad. The storm is coming," Preview gasped as her eyes flared red with fire as she passes out.

**Next: Issue #11 – Picking Up the Pieces **


	12. Picking Up the Pieces

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #11 – Picking Up the Pieces**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

Sam sat in his office starring out the window. It had been a happy and sad homecoming. His mom, who had just left to check on her other children, was glad to have all her babies back. Everyone was glad that they had stopped the Upstarts and Gamesmaster and had come home with him and the other kidnapped friends. The sad and upsetting fact was that they had been betrayed by friends and those they could count on while others had been injured or worse, killed.

"How could we have let ourselves get played like that?" Sam asked turning to his longtime friend and teammate.

"Sam, don't be hard on yourself. Cassandra's plan was a long time in the making. Look at what she had done to Xavier and the other X-Men. We just got hit with her secondary plan already in motion for years that became a master plan after she was believed to have been killed," Dani, Headmistress of Xavier's said placing a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I know. It just goes to show how we can't be prepared for everything. Especially all these secrets that seem to manifest around this school and its students," Sam said.

"What matters is that we survived this and that we now help the students and the others cope and move on," Dani said.

"Yeah, but I just can't help but feel like we let Xavier, Scott and the others down. Students and friends were taken and killed under our watch. I failed," Sam said as his eyes began to water.

"Sam, don't do this. You know as well as I do that death happens in our line of work. We just have to learn from it and be stronger next time," Dani said.

"Yeah, but now we have to pick up the pieces and decide what to do now," Sam said looking over into Dani's eyes.

"Yes, which reminds me, we better get going. The others are waiting," Dani said.

"Okay, let's go. Does Cable still insist on joining us?" Sam said leading the way out the door.

"Yes, him and Domino. I've a feeling he might not be going anywhere," Dani said as Sam cringed a little.

_**New Mutants**_

"Hard to believe their gone," Laurie said thinking of Flubber and Rainboy whom both had been killed by the Upstarts.

"Yeah, I didn't really know them that well," Josh began to say.

"But, they were fellow students and we fought along side them," David finished.

"I just wish Lisa and the others would have gotten what was coming to them," Jay Guthrie swore thinking about those that had betrayed them.

"Well, we won't be taken surprised like that again. With Cable and the Cuckoos scanning all the students for traitors we won't have to worry about spies or traitors," Noriko said.

"I wonder what's going to happen with all the new people here and what they're going to do with the squads that are short members." Laurie asked.

"I don't know. Guess we'll find out at the assembly tomorrow," David said.

"Figures they would wait to discuss that along with our punishments for sneaking out," Sofia sighed.

"Well, the memorial services are this afternoon. Makes sense to let everyone mourn and recoup before pressing forward with business," Noriko said sitting down close to David.

"Hopefully things get better and don't change too much," David said taking Noriko's hand.

_**Alpha Squadron **_

"How's he doing?" Loa asked walking into the medical room where Vic, her squad leader known as Anole was being kept.

"Still hasn't woke up yet," Indra said looking up.

During the invasion of the mansion Anole had been shot by the White Queen. Indra didn't know what made him the angriest; that Vic had gotten shot or that he had gotten shot protecting Dallas. He just didn't know what he saw in that snobby kid. Dallas hadn't even stopped by once to see if Vic was okay or express his gratitude. In the end, Vic obviously liked Dallas and didn't pay any notice to Indra, but here he sat anyway praying for his recovery.

"Don't' worry, he will. Vic's strong and he'll pull through," Rubbermaid said.

"I know, I just wish he would wake up," Paras said letting the tears flow.

"Has anyone talked to Sarah?" Larzaro the mutant known as Kidogo asked.

"She's fine. She's still shaken up by her run in with Cassandra Nova and Shadow King, but she's more concerned with watching over her sister," Loa answered.

"How's Jessie?" Andrea asked.

"She's still shaken but can't seem to remember her vision. When she closes her eyes all she sees is flames and that's it," Loa said.

"I feel bad for her. How scary her powers can be," Larzaro said.

The others nodded and then looked back at their leader lying on the bed. They soon all joined Paras in praying for his speedy recovery.

_**Conference Room – Xavier's School Head Staff**_

Sam took his seat at the table while Dani took hers next to him. Everyone had been waiting for them except Cable. He had come in right after them. He had been down visiting Irene and had lost track of time. Sam noticed the concern in his eyes as well as the annoyance in Domino's eyes. Sam figured it was hard for her to bite her jealousy while allowing Cable to tend to an injured friend. In the end, it was time to get to business and all feelings were being checked at the door.

Despite being kidnapped, Sam was glad to see everyone back and at the table. The main staff was in full attendance. Sam looked at each of them; Karma, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Magma, Empath, Rictor, Warlock and Skids. Joining them was also Cable and Domino along with Callisto. Sam wasn't looking forward to this meeting but they had a lot to discuss before they could move on with the memorial services and the school in general.

"How's everyone that was involved in the school invasion?" Sam asked.

"Thanks to Healer and Elixir, Tom, Wicked, Match and the others are going to be just fine," Magma said.

"What about the three that had been placed in critical condition?" Dani asked.

"Luna is going to be fine. We almost lost her but she's going to pull through," Xi'an smiled with watery eyes.

"As will Irene. She's still weak but no longer in critical condition. Her mind is strong," Cable said.

"What about Vic Borkowski?" Karma asked.

"He's still in a coma. He had lost a lot of blood and went into shock after being shot. The healers and psychics have done what they can for him. Waking up is now up to him," Magma said.

"We can all hope. Speaking of the students, how are they all doing?" Sam asked each of his friends.

"The New Mutants are dealing with witnessing the death of two students but they'll be fine," Dani said.

"Have you decided on a fair punishment?" Sam asked.

"In agreement with Roberto, we felt what has happened to our squads is punishment enough. Their curfew will be stricter for awhile but I think they learned their lesson," Dani said.

"Speaking of, Bobby?" Sam asked.

"I really haven't gotten through to them. Going from thinking they're a strong force to having two of their members killed has left them confused. Bling and Onyxx have drawn into themselves while Giantess and X-23 have latched on to their anger and gone cold," Sunspot said.

"We'll just have to keep working with them, especially X-23. One thing we don't teach here is killing and she continues to get blood on her hands," Dani said.

"In her defense, it was a kill or be killed scenario. If it weren't for her, we may have had less students returning to the school," Cable said.

"Yeah, and like Wolverine, when you're breed to be kill old habits can die hard," Sunspot said.

"I still don't like it and we'll make a point of working with her on that. Am I clear?" Sam glared as Sunspot and Cable.

"What about the rest of the students?" Dani urged the change of subject.

"The Hellions are just fine. Right now they're basking in their victory," Empath said.

"Victory? People were killed. I don't call that a victory," Karma snapped.

"Xi'an," Sam said with a calming tone.

"The Alpha Squadron are being very supportive and waiting for Vic to wake up," Karma said.

"Same with the Paragons, especially since Match is up and moving," Wolfsbane said.

"The Exemplars are doing fine. They were pretty isolated from the incident and feeling better once they saw me," Magma said.

"My teams pretty unaffected and have been very supportive in helping where they can," Sam said referring to his Corsairs.

"What about the Excelsiors?" Dani asked Rictor.

"They're still in shock. Hard to deal with the fact three of their own, one being their squad leader, turned traitor. Penance and Bluefire haven't said much since coming back and Species being caught up in the middle of the mansion attack is still shaken up," Rictor said.

"They're a strong bunch of kids. We need to discuss adding three new members to you're squad and appoint a new leader. I know you along with others have some ideas which we'll cover later," Sam said.

"The rest of the students are calming down and things are moving back to normal," Skids said.

"Good, now to our next agenda. I know we did mind sweeps of everyone here, but what about security? We can't risk the students with being so easily invaded," Sam said.

"Self has been working with new friend Blaquesmith and Domino on upgrading and improving the defenses," Warlock said.

"That and I've decided to remain at the mansion," Cable said.

"Wait a minute. Who said you could take over and move in here? Dani and I run this school now along with the rest of the staff in here," Sam began to shout.

"Sam, calm down," Dani said placing a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry, Sam. I'm not taking over the school or going to tell you what to do," Cable said.

"Then what are your plans?" Sunspot asked.

"Shadow Nova is at large and we have no idea what kind of threat she poses or where she is. We also know she has the traitors Sparkles, Giant Dragon, Purge and Broadband with her. Also at large is Black Tom, Pierce and Adrianne Frost which we don't know if they'll hook back up with Shadow Nova or not," Domino said.

"My task force that I'll assemble will act as additional security but will assist me in trying to track them down. By working out of the mansion we can add needed protection and hunt down those threats that might harm the students leaving the focus on training and teaching to you guys," Cable said.

"Fine, your team can take the lower level but the minute you clash with my staff of students you're out of here," Sam glared at Cable not sure how he felt about the whole thing.

"You won't even know we're here," Cable smiled.

"Speaking of the Upstarts, I'm not so sure I like the idea of Stryfe and that Mona lady staying here at the mansion," Xi'an said.

"That's not Stryfe. Her name is Tosha, and she's my daughter. Stryfe, Tyler and the Gamesmaster feed her with a lot of lies. Blaquesmith and I will be working closely with her to help her sort the truth from the lies. I may have failed my son but I won't abandon my daughter. I'll keep her close to me and hope to incorporate her into my team," Cable said.

"I think we can agree that she and Cable deserve that chance," Dani said.

"What about Mona? She started the kidnapping from the start," Rictor said.

"Yes, but I fear she has been a victim in all this too. She is Moira's sister and I think we owe her a chance to explain herself," Rahne said thinking of her adoptive mom who died not too long ago.

"Yes, there is a lot she has to say and I'll make sure we get the answers," Sam said thinking of what Mona had said aboiut his family.

"I think that leads into what we're all wondering next. She has been collecting our teammates for years. In those tubes were bodies we thought long gone. What can you tell us?" Sunspot asked as the others joined in with agreement.

"Thanks to Amara, Healer, Elixir and the psychic team of the Cuckoos and Blaquesmith we have determined the fate of the others that had been in the tubes with the rest of us," Dani said and then looked to Sam to continue.

"As to the why and how of all this we'll get from Mona later. As for the status of our old teammates, here we go. Illyana Rasputin is alive, but she's in some mystical coma," Sam said as Dani and the others that knew her gasped with shock and relief.

"Rusty is also alive and so is Everett Thomas. They're all hanging out with the others in the lower level recreation rooms waiting until the memorial service. As for Mondo, Skin and Cypher, if they had been alive in the tubes they were found dead after the tubes were opened. We'll honor them at the memorial along with Flubber and Rainboy," Sam said.

"I guess on the plus side, three we thought lost to us are back," Skids said thinking of Rusty.

"Yes, it would be nice to have them back on the team," Dani said.

"Callisto, what are you and your team's plans?" Sam asked the ex-Morlock leader.

"We've not decided yet. Our home was destroyed and we've nowhere to go," Callisto said.

"You're all welcome to stay here for now till we get everything figured out with so many people now here at the mansion," Dani said hoping Sam agreed.

"We do have a full house now," Sam grunted. "I think we've covered a lot for now. It's time for the Memorial Service. Spend tonight with your squads and our new guests finding out how they're doing and what they're thinking."

"I agree. We need to have a solid game plan before we speak to the students at the assembly tomorrow," Cable said.

"That's why I'm calling another meeting tomorrow morning. We'll have had time and can go over the rest tomorrow. I also want to bring in Mona and see what she has to say," Sam said glaring at Cable letting him know he was in control.

"I think that is a great idea. We better go," Dani said as the meeting was dismissed.

_**Epilogue**_

Magik laid on her bed in what seemed like a deep sleep. Illyana looked down at her body and wondered how she got here. Last she remembered she had died during Inferno. She floated up and passed through the floors till she found herself outside looking upon a huge gathering. She saw a lot of unfamiliar faces and a handful of ones she thought she would never see again.

She watched the service as Sam spoke what seemed like a heartfelt eulogy. She looked upon the tearful crowd and couldn't believe how many students were here at the mansion. Times sure had changed since her death. Even her fellow New Mutants looked much older. She began to move closer to see better when she felt a strange presence.

She looked over her shoulder and saw a strange fiery figure. He seemed to be calling to her and she felt herself drawn to him. Before she could blink she was standing right in front of the figure.

"I have need of your services," the fiery figure said.

"I'll not help you," Illyana said starting to back up.

"It wasn't a request. When the time comes, you will do what I ask," the figure said and touched her forehead.

Magik screamed as everything went black. On the hospital bed, Illyana Rasputin slept peacefully with no signs of awaking. Suddenly, Illyana's eyes flew open and she sat up with a start. "Where am I?"

**Next Month: Read Sensational X-Men # 11 for Xavier's Secret – Part One **

**Then be back here for Issue #12 – Xavier's Secret – Part Two**


	13. Xaviers Secret Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #12 – Xavier's Secret – Part Two**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

Sam and Dani just stared at each other. The conference room was in dead silence as everyone here joined them in shock. Hey couldn't believe what they had just heard. They would have thought it all lies if not for the disc Mona had brought for them to play that showed images and information about Xavier from Moira MacTaggert herself. With same thorough work from Cable and the others the info proved authentic and not fabricated. It was very shocking and this was only the half of it. What a way to start the morning.

They had planed to have a staff meeting before having the school assembly the following day after the memorial service. The mansion remained fairly quiet the rest of the evening with an early lights out for all students and most staff. Everyone was pretty wiped out from recent events. One delay in Sam's sleep was finding out after the memorial service that his friend and former teammate Magik, Illyana Rasputin had woken from her mystical coma.

They had questioned her, but she doesn't remember anything after her death during Inferno. She remembered her final moment and then waking up here at Xavier's. She thinks she had had dreams but that has all faded. Sam and Dani agreed that being in her sleep and no longer connected with her soul sword she seems to have mellowed and gone back to old sweet self before she got edgy. She was still fairly weak and was to be taking it easy for awhile.

Sam wondered how it's possible for her to still be alive as well as the others, but that would be made clear at the staff meeting with Mona. She would have a lot of explaining to do. So first thing in the morning Sam had called the meeting to be held in the conference room. They had a lot to do before the assembly later in the afternoon. Sam had been the first to arrive and waited for the others to show.

In a matter of minutes, everyone filed into the room and took a seat at the large conference table. All staff was required to be there except Tom Corsi and Luna who were still healing and wasn't needed here. Dani took a seat next to Sam was Xi'an, Roberto, Rahne, Amara, Manuel, Julio, Warlock and Sally took random seats around the table. Cable, Domino and Callisto had joined them and so did Siryn, Warpath, Magik and Lucinda Guthrie as per Mona MacTaggert's request. As for Mona, she sat nervously in front of everyone waiting to change their world.

"Start explaining," Sam said to the woman.

"Well, as I've told you my name is Mona MacTaggert. Moira was my older sister. My real last name was Kinross but in honor of my sister I changed my last name to hers since it's what she was known by and more recognized. I never meant you any harm. I only did what I did because I thought it would help my friends and get back at the evil Charles Xavier," Mona said.

"Charles has had his moments but he isn't what you call evil," Dani said.

"Well if you al knew his secrets you would change your tune," Mona said.

"Why don't you tell us then? You said you had information for us, so let's get on with it," Sam said.

"Let me start at the beginning with the formation of the X-Men and the Secret Mutants Moira instructed. This information is on this disc compiled from my sister and Xavier's logs," Mona said as she played the files titled Genesis and Deadly Genesis.

**Note: Read Sensation X-Men #11 for the first part of Xavier's Secret for the full story.**

"I can't believe Charles would do that," Sam said.

"To think that Xavier had a whole team die and then erase them from existence," Dani whispered.

"He's a killer, a monster. It's like I don't know him at all," Magma snarled.

"I wouldn't go as far as saying that. He didn't kill them, the island did," Skids said.

"I would. He erased their memories from existence. He might as well have killed them," Cable said.

"Nathan," Domino started to say.

"No, he took both an aunt and uncle from me. Because of him I would never have the chance to know about them and what they sacrificed to do, save my mom and dad," Cable began to shout.

"It was a different time then, maybe he didn't know what to do with a loss like that. He seems to have learned from it and look at the good he's done since," Lucinda said trying to make sense of it all.

"Actually, it gets worse. Xavier had more secrets and they tie into the second wave of X-Men," Mona said as she pulled up more data from the disc onto the monitor to tell the rest of her tale.

"_File, Second Geneses:_," the computer began as it helped tell Mona's story.

"For the record I'm furious. I should never have helped the man. Not only did he send my students to their death he fixed it so no one would know they existed or what had happened to them. I should report him, but who would believe me. I started this with him, so now I have to see it to the end. No matter what may happen. I just wish I would have never found that list and file and shared it with Charles.

"But we were young, in college and in love and it did pertain to both of us. Little did I know it would lead down this road. Despite it all, I know he is a good man and his intentions are good, I hope. At this point I think we should stop and cut our loss but he wants to try and save them for al kinds of reasons. I say no but soon give in and I'm sure it's of my own free will.

"I have researched seven more and turn over names and where to find them. Some of these mutants are a little older and experienced so they might actually be able to pull this off. I make it clear to Charles that if this fails I'm done. I'll do no more research and I'll destroy everything here. I even made Charles promise no more messing with memories and kidnapping mutant children with genetic potential," the computer reported and then paused before the next log.

"_File, Second Geneses-Log Continued: _It's been awhile since I've heard from Charles but he finally sent me word this morning. He found Kurt Wagner in Germany before a mob had lynched him. He can teleport and was given the codename Nightcrawler. He was able to get the Wolverine in Canada, even though he could prove to be a loose cannon. He was also able to get another two who just happened to be old acquaintances, Sean Cassidy the Banshee in Nashville and Shiro Yoshida the Sunfire in Japan.

"He had to work a little magic to get the last three to agree to join him but he had convinced the weather goddess, Ororo from Africa to be his Storm; The Russian Piotr Rasputin to be his steel Colossus and the Apache from Camp Verde to be his Thunderbird. He had been doing a quick training session with them and has now sent them with Cyclops to save the other X-Men. I hope they succeed this time," the computer reported.

"Lady this isn't telling much of anything we all don't already know besides more mention of this list or what Xavier and Moira had been up to back then," Sunspot snapped growing bored.

"I'm getting to it. Moira made no more logs at this point. What I'm about to tell you is where I come in and the last of Xavier's secret. Of course I have documented enough on this disc to show and illustrate what I'm about to tell is true and accurate," Mona said.

"Continue," Cable and Sam said at the same time.

"I never knew I had a sister until that day before Xavier called saying his X-Men had won against the Island and were coming back. I had grown up as an only child and met Charles on my first day of classes at the University. He told me that I was a mutant and wanted me to help him recruit a team of mutants and would like me to help with research.

"I agreed, seeing as this was a hands on opportunity for the field I was studying. This was the same time as when Charles was recruiting Banshee and the others with Moira. We were both doing the same job for Charles and didn't even know it. At this point Charles had become a different and desperate man. After the fit Moira through over the secret mutants, Charles wanted a back up plan since for some reason he could never use his powers on my sister.

"So he erased my memories of having an older sister and put me in a research facility on a different part of Muir Island while he let my sister believe that I was away from college and was being a typical teenager refusing to return her calls. He may not have used his powers on her but he was able to give small nudges so he was able to pull this off. My sister did her thing while I studied and trained the mutants he brought me.

"The first student he brought me was a young girl named Anna Marie Adler. She was not very old. Some of the students Charles brought me were even grade school age. He said that her parents were evil and that he erased her for their memories as is she had never been born. I knew what he was doing was wrong but he _persuaded_ me that it was for the greater good and I accepted my role of doing what he said and taking care of these young kids.

"Little did I or my sister know that when he had gotten the list form her he had done some powerful research and had found genetic next of kin for each mutant on the list. He wanted the same kind of connection and study as he had had with his first two groups of students. So when he found Kurt he had also found his younger sister Anna and gave took him while giving me Anna.

"The second was a young mutant named Daken. It was hard to tell his true age since his healing factor appeared to slow his aging. It was luck he had found him. His mother had been killed by a Winter Soldier but an evil man had cut him from the womb. His healing factor had kept him alive and he was raised by this man to do no good. Charles found him, did the memory whammy and recruited him.

"The next student brought to me was you Theresa. You were being raised by your uncle when Charles took you and erased both your memories. Tom had already decided not to tell your father about you and Xavier thought it was best to keep it that way. I felt bad about what he was doing to you but like I said, he was a hard man to disagree with. Sometimes I wonder how much I did for him was free will or his will.

"While in Africa, Charles found out that Ororo's mother had a sister who had gone to New York and fell in love with a white man. Knowing that was frowned upon she left and returned to Africa. She then thought Ororo dead along with her parents when the white man brought word to her of the accident. The man ended up staying were they eventually had a child. It wasn't till Ororo came to Africa that she had met her cousin Amara, where they hung out and became worshipped like goddesses.

"Yes, Amara, Storm is your cousin. When Charles recruited Storm, he took you and erased everyone's memories of you. I know that doesn't seem possible but I will explain more when I get to the end of my tale. For now, trust me when I say this is true, Amara.

"It was getting to be a nice sized group when the last four kids had shown up. Shiro had a younger half-sister named Leyu, Piotr had a slightly younger sister named Illyana and John had a younger brother named Jason whom Charles had taken and erased everyone's memories. Out of everyone, you, Illyana were my best friend. We bonded and became very close friends. I was really enjoying training you all and forgot about what Charles was doing and how you came to be there with me.

"Things changed fast once the final member of our group arrived. A young boy named Sam arrived. Charles had found him in a foster home. It was easy for him to change memories and take the boy. The boy didn't have many memories and already had no idea who is parents were or where he came from. Once he joined us Charles gave me new instructions.

"He told me to start training them for action and record al studies and research. There was a chance we might all have to go into a serious rescue mission, but if all went well then he had special plans for all of us. What those plans were I never had the opportunity to find out. For after Charles left, it wasn't too much longer before I discovered I had a sister.

"You see, while Moira was fumbling around in her lab on her side of the island she found a comm sequence Charles had left behind. She entered it into the computer and watched the monitor to see what or who would come up. Soon she saw my face thinking that Charles was calling. The moment we saw each other my memories came back of her and she realized what Charles had done. She soon rushed to my location and we swapped stories.

"She was livid and I was mad now that I was the victim for Charles' mind whammy. I was thinking more clearly and Moira said we had to act fast before Charles got back. We were going to send these kids back to their families. I asked her how we would do that without knowing where to send them or Charles finding them again. She said she would for once use her mutant power.

"Moira was a mutant too like me. I could teleport people from place to place and she could port people life to life. What she was going to do was tricky and I had to promise to take some files and stay hidden. If Charles ever found me, what she would do might all be undone. She looked at me and suddenly I felt her power kick in. Now she had never practiced her powers and she never knew what would happen when using them. They could even alter a person like making them younger as it did to me.

"I found myself in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with monitors that allowed me to see my sister and anything I wanted to. I quickly noticed that when she ported me to my new life I was taken from everyone else's. No one, including my sister would ever remember me. These kids now thought my sister had always been their teacher. It made me sad and would fuel my anger at Charles, but I knew from here I could watch over everyone and keep these files safe and hidden.

"She knew, once she ported these kids back to another life, Charles would never remember them being recruited nor would Moira or the kids remember each other or their time here except for me. It seemed where I was I would always remember and know. My sister now went to work on the kids before Charles got back.

"She looked at Daken and he was soon gone. He was transplanted to a new life but I was unable to find where he went. It wasn't till after he was gone before I figured how the monitors worked and by then it was too late to find him. Amara was next to be ported into a new life. Somehow, instead of being sent back to Africa, you were sent to another continent and given the life you remember now. It had somehow brought out your dad's genes and changed your ethnicity and skin color. You know were known by them and never to be known by Storm or your real mother.

"I know it seems harsh but Moira was trying to give you back what Charles had taken from you and keep him from you. She got it right with you, Theresa. You ended up back with your uncle never knowing anything had happened to you. The same with Leyu and Jason, you got sent home with no harm done. The last three she couldn't get right, but she had tried.

"Anna ended up younger and with a new mom and dad thinking they were her birth parents. Funny thing is that in time, she had been drawn back to Raven and Irene. It must have been the nature of their powers to tempt fate like that and become their daughter again, this time adopted instead of real. Illyana had made it back to her old life, only difference was she became a lot younger than she had originally been.

"Sam was tricky since she had no idea who his foster parents had been. By luck, he ended up becoming the Guthrie's first born and younger. Not one of them would ever know, till now, that he was not genetically theirs. I was worried about what would happen when his powers would manifest but it turned out that the Guthrie's real kids would all turn out to be mutants too. With that done and all the kids put back and hidden away from Charles Moira did one last trick, she used her powers on herself.

"When done she was back in her lab. Everything stayed the same except she never had a sister and she as well as Charles had no idea that Mona and her students had been recruited. Everything stayed the same up till the point Charles needed to find a new set of mutants to save his X-Men after the Secret Mutants had died. Instead of getting a list, he believed Moira had hit a dead end and had to forget about the list. Instead he thought he had recruited Wolverine and them by chance with Cerebro. So life would move on as it did and Xavier's secrets would be kept hidden from all but me.

"Here I sat watching you all and becoming friends in my mind to all the friends you guys made in your new lives. I even got excited when by chance you all would get drawn back together even thought you wouldn't remember having met before. It even pained me when I saw death, especially when my sister died. You all thought she was the first human to get the virus when secretly he did have the mutant gene.

"Soon I would risk teleporting out to save you guys, like I did when I teleported duplicate bodies in place of Leyu and Illyana. When I had ported Illyana here the cocoon had somehow manifested an Illyana from another reality. Of course eventually I had started working with Gamesmaster. I only did it because he led me to believe that he would have a means to save those of you that were dead or near death and help me get revenge on Xavier for what he did to me, my sister and you other mutants.

"I never truly meant any of you any harm. I would have come clean but I didn't want the chance of my being seen giving Charles his memories back. You have to believe me," Mona said finishing her tale.

By the look of everyone's faces they were even more appalled and shocked by Xavier. Lucida was already crying and telling Sam that no matter what she was still her first born. Cable offered to do a paternity test but they knew what they had been told was true. Sam had other parents out there somewhere, but where. Who was he really?

"What do we do with this information now?" Dani asked.

"Do we tell the other X-Men when they get back about their dead siblings? Or what Charles tried to do with the other X-Men's family and memories?" Domino asked.

"Yes, and what about the students like Joey and Gailyn? Do we tell them about an aunt or uncle they never knew about? Do we contact the families?" Xi'an asked looking at Amara.

"I think so. Everyone has a right to know, especially now that I find out that Storm is my cousin. Hard question is what do I do? Do I try and find my real mom?" Amara asked with tears.

"At this point we have all lived our lives and have gone to far ahead in life. I see no point in causing a ruckus or confusion in other people's lives," Jason said not feeling indifferent with anything that had happened.

"I agree to a point, but I think all X-Men should be told everything. They have the right to know what Xavier has done and that when Xavier returns we confront him. He needs to explain a lot," Cable said.

"I agree," Sam said.

"I don't know if I can ever trust or look that man in the eye again," Sally said.

"I think that goes for a lot of people in this room. I know I have trouble respecting the man I had come to follow," Callisto said.

"I think we can all agree that what we learned here today stays in this room for now till we can confront Xavier and the rest of the X-Men when they return," Cable said nodding at Domino.

"I think that might be best for now," Sam said holding his mom's hand tight.

"I know this is a lot that we've had to take in, but we still need to cover other school related items before the assembly this afternoon," Dani said.

"True, if everyone could leave except the squad leaders we have business to discuss," Sam said.

"I would like to stay," Cable said.

"As would I," Callisto and Domino said.

"Sam, there are issue concerning them too," Dani said before Sam could object.

"Fine," Sam said as Lucinda, Mona, Siryn, Warpath and Magik left the room.

Sam was still unsure what to think of it all but he knew he had had enough of secrets, whether they were Xavier's or anyone else's. It seemed no matter where he turned, it was always something popping up at this school. Would anything ever be normal and calm around this place? Same sighed and began the meeting.

_**Epilogue**_

Illyana sat in her new room trying to contemplate things. A lot has happened to her in her life, including a period of her life and a best friend taken from her and being saved from death. All she new is she needed her older brother and she wished he was here. Hopefully he would return soon.

"It's time," a voice said in her ear.

"Go away," Illyana said jumping up to see a fiery figure in the mirror on the wall.

"You have no choice, it's your duty to the demons to do this," the man said taunting her.

"I'm not that person anymore," Illyana said moving form the mirror just as a puff of smoke hit her from the mirror.

Illyana stood there and blinked her eyes. Why was she looking in the mirror? Illyana laid back down on the bed and fell asleep. She found peace in her dreams not realizing that she just spent the last hour placing strange fiery devices throughout the whole mansion and out on the grounds. She had no realization that she was welcoming the Storm.

**Next: Issue #13 – "The Dating Game"**

**NOTE: The Storm is Coming. See my profile for more details.**


	14. The Dating Game

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #13 – "The Dating Game"**

_**Cannonball & Psyche**_

"So is this a first date or a meeting?" Dani asked looking at Sam across the table.

"I'm sorry, after everything that has happened I can't seem to get the school off my mind," Sam said as he picked at his pizza.

"How are things with you and your mom?" Dani asked.

"They're good. Of course we'll never tell the rest of my siblings but deep down we both know I've other parents out there somewhere," Sam said sighing.

"What are you going to do about that?" Dani asked.

"I promised my mom that I didn't want to think about that, but a part of me deep down wants to go off and find them," Sam said.

"You're going to leave the school?" Dani asked as her heart began to skip a beat.

"I don't know. I know this school really needs me now and I hate to leave. Maybe when the X-Men get back I can begin a search," Sam sighed.

"We'll if you need anything or want my help, I'm here for you," Dani said touching his hand.

"Thanks, Dani," Sam smiled.

"I talked to Rictor and Roberto and their teams seem to be doing much better and they are adjusting well to their new team members," Dani said.

"That's great to hear," Sam smiled.

The reason Sam smiled was that three of his siblings were on those teams. Blindspot had finally agreed to use her powers and joined her brother Jeb's team, the Excelsiors. He was glad to see her become active like the rest of them. As much as Lewis, Lea and Cleo wanted to join a squad, Sam had told them they were not quite ready yet. Elizabeth was the leader of Mutant Force and was doing a great job helping her team through their loss of two team members.

Sam and the rest of the squad leaders had made good choices in addition to Blindspot. A student known as Armor had been "promoted" and allowed to join a squad, the Excelsiors. Even though she was a little older than the others, Hub had also agreed to join Excelsiors as the squad leader and to further her training. Sam was glad she chose to start anew and join the school, as did two of the others from Genosha.

Wicked and Freakshow had both wanted to stay at the school and train. They decided to place them on Mutant Force. They would help fill the two vacant spots and would mesh well with the others. He also knew his sister Elizabeth would lead and guide them well. It was nice to have all the squads back up to par and moving on. He was also glad to try and help the others find a place too after all that had happened.

Karima and Shola had decided to stay and join Cable's new X-Force team. Shatterstar, Warpath, Caliban, Meltdown and Bedlam had also agreed to stay and join X-Force. Their mission was to add security and search out Shadow Nova and the others while staying out Sam and his school's way. He was sure Callisto and some of the others would join up with Cable but no one else wanted any part of him or his team.

Siryn was one of them that hated Cable. She didn't want to join his team but she wasn't ready to leave the school yet. Like Rahne, Amara and Illyana they had many unanswered questions and wanted to talk more with Mona and wait for the X-Men to get back. Like Sam, they all were trying to deal with what they had learned. So Sam and Dani had agreed to let Mona stay for now. Mona, Siryn and Illyana worked on rediscovering their past friendships while running their own squad. Sam and the rest of the staff had agreed with this decision.

Synch, Jubilee, Chamber, M and Husk had decided that they felt safer staying at the school where they were near friends and family again. M even decided to enlist her siblings in the school. They were too old to join the school squads but not yet old enough to join the staff or the big leagues. So Siryn, like her father had done, took them under her wing to train them as a junior wanna-be X-Men team. Sam and Dani liked the idea of keeping them safe, even if the school was starting to get full. Even though, there were a few that chose not to stay.

Rusty didn't want any part of any team right now, he just wanted to hang out and be near Sally. It was still undecided if he was going to stay or not. As for Callisto, she refused to stay. After finding out what Xavier had done she wanted no more ties with the X-Men. So she, along with Thorn and Feral, decided to head back to the sewers and reclaim the Morlocks and pull them back together. Sam could say he wasn't sad to see them go.

"Earth to Sam," Dani teased.

"Sorry, was just thinking about everything again," Sam smiled.

"I know, you can't help but think about it. I mean, how do we know we all joined of our free will? What other secrets does Xavier have or what he might have done?" Dani asked.

"It gives me a headache just thinking about it. I mean, he did take me from a foster home and I did end up with a great family, but if I had never been taken from the foster home how would my life have ended up? Would I know my true parents?" Sam asked.

"Well, I'm glad that this life did lead you here," Dani smiled.

"I agree, I can't complain about how some things turned out," Sam said taking her hand and smiling back.

"How about a movie to take your mind off things?" Dani asked.

"Your room or mine?" Sam smirked as Dani blushed.

_**Magma & Empath**_

"Amara, can I come in?" Manuel asked knocking on the door.

"Manuel, not now. How many times do I have to tell you that it's over between us," Amara said as she stared at two photographs.

"I know we have history and I'd love nothing more than to have you give me another chance, but I'm not here for that. I'm here as a friend and to see how you're doing," Manuel said as he noticed the photo of her in her old village and the other photo of her and the New Mutants.

"It seems like every where I turn, people I put faith in have played games with my mind," Amara said as fire flared in her eyes.

Manuel didn't know what to say. Xavier wasn't the only guilty party. He had never truly meant to use his powers to influence Amara all those years ago. He truly did love her and he believed that Amara felt the same for him too. He hadn't meant any harm. He never used his powers to make her love him; he just nudged to keep her from falling out of love. He loved Amara and this time he would win her over without his powers. It might take time but he was willing to wait.

"It seemed Xavier did pull a fast one but Moira's intentions were innocent," Manuel said.

"You don't get it. I was affected more than anyone. Yes the original X-Men lost siblings but the mind erase kept them from knowing the loss. My group was affected with all of us still being alive to have to deal with the consequences and confusion," Amara cried.

"What do you mean?" Manuel said as he took a seat next to her and placed his arm around her.

"Jason, Teresa and Leyu were put back like nothing ever happened. Even Illyana was put back even if she was made younger. Rouge still made it back to her original parents and probably turned out better than if she had been left alone. Even Sam got a good deal out of this. His life with the Guthrie's was probably better than what might have happened with the foster kids. As for Daken, no one knew about him anyway. As for me," Amara cried.

"Help me understand," Manuel said.

"My parents were taken from me. Instead of the life I've lead I could be enjoying a normal life with my mom in Africa. Xavier took that from me. I have a mom I will never know and she may be out there somewhere. The problem is, she will never know me or ever remember having me. That family and life was taken from me forever.

"I was then given a second family if you call it that. One I don't remember again. In this one, Rouge, Daken, Teresa, Leyu, Illyana, Jason, Sam and I were all friends. According to Mona we were all great friends for the short time we had. Thanks to Moira and Xavier that was taken from me too.

"Yes, most of us have all met again, but under different circumstances. Who knows how our lives might have turned out if we had stayed together," Amara said.

"True, but looking at what was happening you all might have ended up dead or worse due to Xavier," Manuel said wincing as Amara pulled away and glared at him.

"That's my point. I'll never know. My best friends have become acquaintances. Hell, we don't even remember or know where Daken is," Amara said feeling a strange pull that Manuel felt too and didn't like.

"Look where you're at now, helping run a school for mutants. Things didn't turn out all that bad," Manuel said trying to get the mood back.

"Yes, but I still don't feel like I belong. I never have. Even my new life that Moira gave me altered my form and placed me in my new life. Even that all turned out to be based on lies by the evil Selene. Even my relationship with you was mixed with lies. Even when I joined the New Mutants it felt like a lie and I never really felt like I belonged.

"I think that is my problem. My lives have changed but my connection with the Earth has kept a part of me the same. Maybe that's why I've never fit in and have never settled or been happy. My mind may be fooled but my soul knows that the life I'm living is a lie and there is no way to ever get the right one back," Amara cried stepping away from Manuel.

"What are you saying? Are you thinking of leaving the school?" Manuel asked as panic set in.

"Maybe, I don't know. I know we're not suppose to talk about this or say anything further till Xavier and the X-Men get back but I feel compelled. For some reason I feel like I have to see Leyu and then search for Daken. I know that if I do that and maybe at least find my true mother that my life will at least in some way be full and I can finally fit into this life of mine," Amara said.

"Maybe you should talk to the others first or even Sam. In a sense he is your friend and technically one of your very first friends," Manuel said trying to make her smile.

"Yeah, I even thought about visiting more with Mona but she has spent a lot of time with Siryn and Illyana. I'm pretty sure they are now acting like they did in our past life as if they were a click," Amara said.

"Well, whatever you decide to do, I'm there for you," Manuel said softly.

"Thanks, Manuel," Amara said as she touched his check and then moved towards the door.

"Your welcome," Manuel sighed as he took his queue and left Amara's room as she sighed and closed the door behind him.

_**Indra & Anole**_

"Hey what're you doing?" Loa asked as she walked up to a purple skinned student.

"Hi, Loa, just sitting here thinking," Indra said as he kicked the grass under the bench he was sitting on.

"What are you thinking about? Or should I say whom?" Loa teased as she took a seat next to him and inhaled deeply. Loa loved the sitting out in the garden amongst all the flowers.

"Stop it. For your information I wasn't thinking about him," Paras said blushing.

"Okay, what were you thinking about?" Loa smiled.

"How much I hate Dallas Gibson. I mean he never gave the time of day to Vic. Even when Vic was in a coma he didn't even stop by once to check on him. Now Vic is awake and the center of attention and now Dallas acts like he was his biggest supporter," Paras growled.

"And you're mad because you're the one that sat by Vic's side the whole time and Dallas is getting al of his attention?" Loa smirked.

"Yes, I mean no. I mean, I don't know. It's just not fair," Paras sighed.

"You know Vic is smitten with him but you can't get jealous if you never take the chance to tell Vic how you feel," Loa said.

"I'm afraid of what he might say. I would die if I lost his friendship," Paras said.

"Vic's not like that. No matter what he thinks or feels he'll never stop being your friend. You need to take a chance," Loa said standing up.

"You're right, I'll do it," Paras said suddenly standing with new found courage.

"Good, cause here he comes now," Loa said clapping her hands.

Indra's heart skipped a beat as he saw Vic Borkowski gliding his wheelchair their way. It seemed that Vic was getting stronger each day. Indra sometimes teased Anole that he was staying in the wheelchair just to keep milking the sympathy vote. Either way, he was glad to see Vic back and in good spirits. Indra took a deep breath and prepared to take a chance.

"Vic," Indra began.

"Hi, Paras, Alani. You're never going to believe what happened. Dallas asked me out on a date. We're going to the movies tonight. Xi'an and Luna are taking us but I really don't care. I'm so excited I just had to tell someone. I have to go change, I'll tell you more later," Anole said speaking a mile a minute and racing past them back towards the school.

"Great, have fun, Vic," Indra called after his friend as his eyes began to water.

"Oh, Paras, I'm so sorry," Alani said putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I hate him. I mean Dallas, he mainly goes out with girls and can have anyone he wants. Why does he have to go after Vic. He doesn't even like him. He's after the attention," Paras fumed with anger and tears.

"It's okay, I still think you need to tell him," Alani said as she put her arm around him.

Indra didn't say a word. He leaned into Loa and cried in her arms.

_**Preview & Bluefire**_

"This movie is great," Jessie said as she looked over at Jebediah.

Jessie couldn't believe she was actually sitting next to her long time crush. In a million years she thought she would never go on a date with Jeb let alone him asking her out. He had never really noticed her before until they spent time on that mission against the Upstarts. After that they had begun passing pleasantries in passing around the school. Then today a few of the students were getting together to watch the premier of a new reality show on TV in the lounge and Jeb asked her if she'd like to come with him.

She couldn't believe it. She wasn't sure if it was a true date or just a friendly invite. Either way she didn't care, to her it was a date. Jessie smiled and here she sat next to Jeb. Even though the Cuckoos, Hub, Joelle and a few of the other students were in here, she felt like it was just her and Jeb. She felt Jeb's hand touch hers and she gasped. Was he making a move?

"Oh, sorry," Jeb said as he looked down and saw he missed the bowl of popcorn and then grabbed a handful.

"No worries," Jessie smiled as she tried to remain calm.

The show had started and she could do nothing but watch Jeb. It seemed he was getting closer but she wasn't sure if that was her imagination or not. She heard Jeb say something and she turned to find herself looking right in his eyes. Their lips inches form each other. The moment seemed awkward but yet magnetic. Was he going to kiss her? She closed her eyes slightly as she waited to see what would come next. She suddenly felt a spark.

Unfortunately it wasn't Jeb but one of her vision coming to light. Fire burned as students and teachers screamed in pain. She knew she had had this vision before but this time it was more intense and seemed closer. The intensity became too much and she lost control and screamed. Everyone turned to her as the ground began to rumble.

"Jessie, what's wrong?" Jeb asked grabbing her arms and trying to calm her.

"We have to get out. The mansion is being consumed by fire," Preview screamed as the floor began to shake harder.

"Celest," Jeb began to say as he saw the Cuckoos were way ahead of them.

Power, alarm and warnings flowed from the Cuckoos as it connected with all telepaths and amplified with great pain to every person living in the mansion and on the grounds. Skids and Rusty grabbed their heads as they heard the warning as they pulled onto the school's property. Skids screamed as she fell out of the car and watched a massive beam of fire shoot up from the ground, consuming the mansion and heading straight to the heavens. Her mind filled with screams as the sky turned red with fire.

**Next: Read Demon Storm #1 – Demon Storm – Part One**

**Then be back here for Issue #14 – Demon Storm – Part Seven**


	15. Demon Storm Part Seven

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #14 – Demon Storm – Part Seven**

_**Beam of Fire – The Xavier Institute**_

"This can't be happening," Sally Blevins, the mutant known as Skids said in hysterics.

"Calm down, Sally. There's got to be an explanation for this. I'm sure everyone got out and are fine," Rusty lied as he stared with wide eyes.

After many years of being thought dead to the world, Rusty found himself back among it. One minute he was crashing down with Asteroid M knowing the end is near and the next he wakes up in a tube with a second chance at life. He realized that following Magneto was a mistake and it was another failed attempt to find a place to fit in. Now he knows that the only place he belongs is with Sally and where she goes he will follow.

That is why he refused to join any teams or commit to anything at the school. He chose to move into the mansion and focus al his energy on his true love, Sally. They had finally gotten the chance to go out to a movie and connect with no worries in the world until they got home. Suddenly they found themselves looking at a giant beam of fire where the mansion had once been with no signs of life anywhere.

"I heard the screams and warnings in my mind and now there's nothing. I keep trying and I'm not getting any of the psychics to respond," Sally cried as she watched for any signs of survivors.

"I'm sure," Rusty began to say and then stopped suddenly at the sound of a loud roar.

Rusty and Sally watched as they saw a large object shoot out from the fire like a rocket ship. The object hit a tree causing it to split in two while the object hit the ground and skidded to a stop tearing up the lawn in its path. Rusty and Skids ran up to the object to find Sam Guthrie, the mutant known as Cannonball holding and covering Dani Moonstar, the mutant known as Psyche with his body.

"Sam, you're alive," Sally cried.

"Yes, I think," Sam said as Rusty and Sally helped him and Dani to their feet.

"How did we?" Dani asked as she finally got herself under control.

"When we got the Psi-Alarm and I felt the whole mansion shaking I grabbed you and pushed my powers harder than I ever had. I surrounded both you and me and blasted off. I saw the fire come and it was all I could do to keep the blast shield up and the fire from reaching us," Sam said hugging her tight.

"What happened here?" Rusty asked the two Headmasters of the school.

"I don't know, but I sensed a lot of death here today," Dani cried staring at the beam of fire.

"It's all gone isn't it?" Sally cried.

"Looks like it. Have you seen any other survivors?" Sam asked Sally and Rusty.

"No, you're the first," Rusty said.

"Wait, look over there," Sally said pointing at the ground near the fire.

They all stared as the ground next to the beam of fire began to erupt. Molten lava and fire exploded as a woman made of the same substance emerged and stepped toward them. As she got closer she began to revert to human flesh. They knew from the start that it was Amara, their mutant friend codenamed Magma. They ran towards her as she quivered with emotion. Tears formed on her cheeks, no longer evaporating from the heat.

"He's gone," Amara whispered.

"Who's gone?" Sam asked.

"Manuel. The room began to shake and I felt the warning and instantly started to become magma. Right before the fire erupted and consumed my room, Manuel walked in calling my name. I was protected in my magma form but I was helpless to save him. He disintegrated right before my eyes and there was nothing I could so to save him," Amara cried.

"Oh, Amara," Dani said as she took her into her arms.

"What is happening to me?" A voice cries out from behind them.

They all turn to see magma and rocks around where Magma came out of leap up and starting merging together. In moments a large bulky figure made out of rock and lava takes shape and stares at the fire mutants. The creature made of magma slowly walks towards them staring at his hands in confusion. Sam and Rusty prepare to meet the creature with force when Dani steps in front of them.

"Wait, I think he's one of the students," Dani says walking closer to the creature.

"Wow, check me out. The fire destroyed my body but my mind was still alive. I finally latched onto Magma's trail and followed till I somehow was able to pull myself back together," the creature says with awe.

"Rockslide, is that you?" Dani asks.

"Yeah and it looks like I've a new body," said Santo the Hellions Squad member.

"I always felt a connection to you and the earth," Magma said.

"Our suspicions were right, your powers seem connected to your conscious possessing and forming itself with the earth and materials around you," Sam said looking at Dani.

"Was there anyone else with you," Dani asked.

"Oh no," Rockslide gasped as he began to remember. "I was heading to the kitchen when I got the psychic alarm. Right before the fire consumed me, I had glanced and saw a few others walking in front of me," Rockslide said with sadness in his voice.

"Do you know who they were?" Sam asked.

"It was Mr. Corsi. He was leading Melt and a few of the underagers. I saw them burn away briefly before my body was gone and my mind switched to search mode and found my way here," Santo said.

"Oh, poor Sue," Amara cried thinking of the loss of one of her students on her squad.

"Tom has always been like an uncle to all of us," Dani said as they all wept for those that they knew were gone and the ones yet to be discovered lost.

"We need to find out who caused this and make them pay," Sally said.

"Who ever did this, it can't be good," Sam said as they noticed the red sky began to rain fire.

"You think this is the work of Shadow Nova?" Dani asked looking from the sky to Sam.

"No, this is the work of something or someone else," Cable's voice called out from above.

They all looked up to see a giant psi-sphere formed around seven people come belting out of the beam of fire. They easily made out the forms of Cable, his daughter Tosha, Domino, Shatterstar, Meltdown, Shola and Omega Sentinel. They could clearly see that Cable, Tosha and Shola were combining their powers to forms the psi-shield that protected them from the fire. The sphere vanished as they reached the ground and approached the rest of them.

"Oh, Sam," Tabitha cried as she saw Sam and disregarded Dani's cold glare.

"Good to see you all made it," Cable nodded.

"Not all of us made it," Sam said as he told them of the ones they knew had died.

"Yeah, at the last minute we pooled our powers and created the shield that saved us," Omega Sentinel said.

"You mean?" Dani began to ask in fear.

"No, the rest of X-Force is fine. They are safe and tending to and protecting the other survivors," Cable said.

"Survivors, how many made it out?" Sam asked in unison with the others.

"I don't know. My last mental contact with Blaquesmith before he was gone was to take roll of everyone in Summersville," Cable said.

"Where?" Dani asked.

"Summersville, it's one of his safe houses near here," Domino said.

"When I received the psychic alarm from the Cuckoos I acted instantly. I used my powers to combine with Blaque's and formed a link between every person that had psychic powers and telekinesis. We then connected and latched on to anyone that had any form of teleportation powers.

"Using all of X-Force as a grounding unit, we pushed out with a massive power pulse latching on to any student or staff member that we could and initiated a mass teleport from here to Summersville. All of X-Force went but us, but right as the fire came we pooled together and formed a tek-shield. We saved a lot of lives, but how many and who is unknown at this time," Cable explained.

"We figured that the survivors will stay where they are while we search for others and who did this," Domino said.

"Thanks, Cable. The school may be gone, but you managed to save a large part of its staff and students," Sam said shaking his hand.

"My stomach's in knots wondering who made it and who didn't," Sally said.

"I agree, but right now we need to focus on the situation here," Domino said.

"Yes, we need to find out what caused this," Cable said.

"Yes, but first we need to sweep the area and see if anyone else who wasn't in the teleporting made it out," Sam said.

They quickly divided up and began searching the area. After about ten minutes they had all regrouped with the other survivors they had come across. They found Specter, Anole, Xi'an and Luna. They had just pulled out of the institute when they got the alarm and turned back. To their knowledge, they and Skids and Rusty were the one people who had left school grounds. Xi'an and taken part in the link but refused for her and the others in her car to be teleported. No point wasting needed energy on those already safe.

They had also run into Sunspot and his squad, Mutant Force. For some apparent reason, Roberto had taken his squad into the woods to do some wilderness training. Sam questioned this but knew now wasn't the time. He was just glad to see them alive. Along with them they had come across ten others who had either made it out or survived the fire.

Armor's power seemed to have protected her from the fire and was able to walk out of it safely. Match and Trance, whose fire control and astral project powers had allowed them to escape death by fire. Hellion and Wind Dancer, for some reason that Dani would inquire into later, were also out on school grounds just outside of where the beam had come up. Loa and Indra, who had been out in the gardens visiting had made it far enough before the fire had come up.

The last three to be found were young mutants that were underage and years away from being ready to join a squad. They had been with an older student, Bubbles, who was not far from being promoted to a squad when the alarm went off. Bubbles had called forth her powers and encased the three in bubbles and sent them flying out the window and to safety as the fire consumed her and the school.

Dani hugged the kids and comforted them while the other survivors talked and tried to figure out what to do next. A lot of them really wanted to get to Summersville and find out who survived. Sam and Cable after a little back and forth agreed that a few of them should take the students off to safety while the rest of them search for answers. They were ready to split up when they had one final surprise.

"Illyana," Sam and Dani shouted out as a fiery portal opened up and the mutant once named Magik stepped out.

"Hi guys," Illyana said standing inches from the beam of fire.

"What are you doing here?" Roberto asked.

"Yeah and why did you shut us out when we reached out to you for the teleportation meld?" Cable asked suspiciously.

"Sorry, I panicked and teleported out in fear of my life," Illyana said as she glanced at Dani who was trying to calm the three kids who were starting to shake.

"What's wrong, Holly?" Dani asked.

"She's evil," Holly said.

"What are you talking about?" Skids asked coming over to the three young kids.

"In my special dreams I saw her putting strange devices all over the mansion and talking to dark man," Holly said.

"Yeah, and me and my brother sense evil within her," the other two kids chimed in.

"Tattletales," Magik muttered as she waved her hands and the three kids vanished within a fiery portal.

"Illyana, what the hell?" Sunspot shouted as he powered up.

"Illyana, you bring them back," Dani shouted.

"Sorry, they're not coming back and I'm not the Illyana you once knew. I'm Dark Childe, one of the Horsemen of Hell," their old friend declared as she transformed into a demonic form. Her feet become hooves as her skin turned red and she sprouted horns and a tail.

"Illyana, did you do this? You have to stop it," Karma said to her old friend.

"I did this in preparation of Semaj and his Demon Storm. Soon, we shall inherit the Earth," Dark Child said as two portals opened behind her.

From one portal, a purple demon stepped out while a red nasty looking demon walked out of the other dragging a woman by her hair. It was hard for them to make out who she was. Behind them, thousands of demons could be seen waiting to pass through the portal. Sam and most of the other older mutants knew exactly who the two demons were and where they and the other demons were coming from.

"Is that Limbo?" Sunspot asked Dani and Sam.

"Yes, Semaj has given me the means to retake my realm and take my place as rightful queen of the demons in exchange for becoming one of his Horsemen of Hell," Dark Child shouted as reached over and grabbed the woman from her demon and held her up for all to see with one hand while she lifted up a glowing silver sword in the other hand.

"Amanda Sefton?" Sam gasped.

"S'ym, take a horde of demons with you and comb the area. Kill any you find in hiding," Dark Child said as the purple demon dashed of form sight. **See New Exiles #13 & 14 for what S'ym is up to**

"Dani, get the kids out of here. Sam, you and the others go after S'ym. Me and X-Force will handle Miss Horsemen here," Cable commanded as Sam bit his tongue.

"N'astirh, Legions of Limbo, attack!" Dark Child shouted as the demons swarmed the mutants before they could act.

**Next: Issue #15 – Demon Storm – Part Fifteen – Final battle with Dark Child**

**Check out the following issues as the other Horsemen of Hell make their move:**

**Salem-X #17 & 18 – Demon Storm Part Ten**

**New Exiles #16 & 17 – Demon Storm Part Three & Eleven**

**Power Pack #13 & 14 – Demon Storm Part Four & Twelve**

**Wild Pack #13 & 14 – Demon Storm Part Five & Thirteen (Final Issue)**

**Alpha Squads #13 & 14 – Demon Storm Part Six & Fourteen (Final Issue)**

**Mutant Generation Force #14 & 15 – Demon Storm Part Seven & Fifteen**

**X-Calibur # 13 & 14 – Demon Storm Part Eight & Sixteen**

**Sensational X-Men # 13 & 14 – Demon Storm Part Nine & Seventeen**

**Then Read: Demon Storm #2 – Demon Storm – Part Eighteen – The Conclusion **


	16. Demon Storm Part Fifteen

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #15 – Demon Storm – Part Fifteen**

_**Beam of Fire – The Xavier Institute**_

N'astirh and his legion of demons from limbo quickly surrounded the thirty-one surviving mutants form the destruction of the Xavier Institute. Dark Child laughed as she kicked the barely conscious body of Amanda Sefton. Thanks to Amanda's mother Margali she was given reign over Limbo. Margali had been slipping in and out of Limbo secretly rallying the demons against Amanda. When the time came and the demons revolted, Amanda drew her sword to command them. She was surprised when they answered to a new queen, Illyana, whose shocking return was enough to allow Illyana to rip the Soul Sword from Amanda's hand and strike her down.

A part of her, deep down had been glad at a second chance to be with her friends again. She had wanted noting more with demons or being evil. She had been determined to atone for her past and do things right this time, until she met Semaj. Unlike last time where she had been gradually corrupted to the dark side, Semaj had the power to control all demons. With no warning or ability to resist, Semaj grabbed hold and pulled the dark demon side of her forward and took control. Dark Child was back and there was nothing Illyana or anyone could do about it.

"Kill them!" Dark Child commanded as she waved her sword high and placing one foot atop the body of the former guardian of Limbo.

"That truly can't be Illyana, can it?" Dani asked Sam.

"I don't know. It sure seemed like her. Maybe she's being possessed," Sam said.

"Yeah right. Why can't you guys face it that she is pure evil? She turned evil once before, why are you surprised she wouldn't become evil again," Sunspot said as she powered up and shot solar blasts at the incoming demons.

"Not sure about that, Bobby. My psi abilities aren't as powerful as they once were, but I am almost sensing two separate minds," Cable said.

"Yes I agree, but the one is hidden very deep and this Dark Child persona is very dominating. I almost got fried trying to use my powers on her," Karma said.

"Why must we waste our time here? We should be hunting down those that used me," Tosha said using her powers to grab and throw demons away from her while blasting others with her laser guns.

"We can't do that. I know you're still dealing with finding out all you believed in, including your brother was a lie, but you're going to have to trust and believe in me," Cable said as Tosha rolled her eyes.

"I will follow you, for now, but it will take a while before I'll be able to fully trust you," Tosha said as she leapt in the air and using both her guns and telekinesis.

"It's scary, but you can totally see the family resemblance," Dani whispered to Sam as he laughed.

"We need to push a hole through these demons and get the students out of here," Dani called out.

"We can handle ourselves," Hellion snapped as he used his powers to toss demons left and right.

"Sam, unlike your squads some of ours are well trained. Mutant Force, follow me. I want a clear path to the witch from hell," Sunspot said as he led his squad into battle against Sam's protests.

Giantess, ignoring her brother's commands grew to massive height and plowed through the demons. Tossing and kicking them in all directions. Bling called forth her diamond shells as Onyxx demonstrated his great strength. Wicked called forth apparitions to confuse and attack the demons while Freakshow became a giant monster and pounded on the demons. Out of all the members of the Mutant Force squad, X-23 was the fiercest. Claws extended, she sliced through demons faster than they could come at her. Sam was almost afraid to admit how well they were handling themselves.

"How can there be so many?" Loa asked as she used her powers to swim through the ground causing it to collapse under the demons.

"I don't know, but it's all I can do to keep them from reaching Vic. He's still in no condition to fight," Indra said.

"Don't worry, I'm here to help," the shadow form of Specter said as he moved quickly pounding the demons.

"Thanks," Indra said through gritted teeth.

"We need to get that portal closed to keep them from coming through," Karma said as she glanced back at Luna who stood near Anole.

"The only way to do that is to take out the demon witch," Rockslide said as he pounded demons with his magma rock hands.

"We can't do that, she's our friend," Magma said as she used her powers to cause the earth to erupt and scorch her attackers.

"We have no choice. The Illyana we know died, twice," Sunspot said blasting more demons.

"We just," Sam began to say to the others but trailed in silence as be blasted through the demons.

"You three look mighty tasty," N'astirh said as he towered over three mutants.

Armor, Trance and Match looked up at the large red demon. His smile alone told them that his intentions were not good. The three students stood there watching the demon as he paced around them. Then, suddenly, the demon jumped lashing out with his claws. Armor stepped forward and her powers kicked on encasing her body in a protective shield that broke the demons claws. Before he could recover, Trance sent her astral form through him causing great pain as Match grabbed hold of fire and sent it on the demon.

"Great teamwork, guys," Armor said as Trance and Match smiled.

"You'll pay for that," N'astirh said leaping out of the fire and grabbing Match by the throat.

Armor and Trance starred in fright as the evil demon smacked his lips and readied for the kill. N'astirh screamed as his body was pounded with blasts and he fell to the ground dropping Match. Match moved quickly away as the demon tried to get back up. Just as he got to his feet, a force grabbed hold of him and he was soon sent flying through the air and out of sight. The three mutants looked up to see Omega Sentinel and Shola floating above them.

"Need to be more careful," Shola said as he and Omega Sentinel turned on more demons.

"Cable, we need to get these kids out of here," Domino said as she fired blast after blast at attacking demons.

"They're holding their own for now. We need to focus on Dark Child," Cable said as he flipped in the air and blasting several demons with his gun.

"This one's mine," a demon said as a group of them surrounded Wind Dancer.

"Back off my girl," Hellion shouted as used his powers to grab the demon and send it flying through the air.

"Your girl?" Wind Dancer teased looking up at Hellion floating in the air.

"Less flirting, more fighting," Shatterstar said as he leapt out and took out the remaining demons with his swords.

"Rusty, watch out," Skids shouted as she put up a shield to deflect two demons leaping at her boyfriend.

"Thanks, doll," Rusty said as he set the two demons on fire.

"Why don't we just kill it?" Tosha said throwing several demons back away from her as she blasted more with her guns.

"Because that demon may or may not still be there old friend. She's family to some of them," Cable said looking at his daughter.

"Why does everything have to be so complex," Tosha said as Cable smirked.

"Tabitha, there's an opening. Take it!" Domino shouted.

"Three, two, one," Meltdown said as she took her shot and caused a ball of energy to explode under Dark Child.

The explosion sent Dark Child in one direction separating her from Amanda Sefton and her Soul Sword. The impact of the explosion and Dark Child hitting her head on the ground caused the portals to close. Sam cheered inside as he knew the demon supply had been cut off. Mutant Force was immediately close and on top of Dark Child. Sunspot sent a solar blast sending Dark Child back to the ground.

"Illyana, Dark Child, or whatever you're calling yourself, but your evil ends now," Bling said as she, Onyxx and X-23 dove in for attack.

Dark Child stood with great speed and grabbed Bling by the neck and then slammed her hard to the ground. She then turned and opened two portals that spat out two blasts of fire that hit Onyxx and X-23 head on. Onyxx hit the ground singed and smoking as X-23 squirmed waiting for her healing factor to replace the skin she had lost off her face and chest. Dark Child then stopped her hoofed feet hard on the ground causing a pulse wave that sent the rest of Mutant Force tumbling backwards.

"Now, I'll kill you all," Dark Child said and then paused as a loud rumble ripped through the sky.

"IT IS TIME!" A voice boomed from the pits of hell.

"As you wish, master," Dark Child said as a magical wave shot from her body that sent all mutants and demons to the ground.

"Sam, I don't like this," Dani Said.

"I agree, what ever that was about scorched my brain when I reached out for it," Cable said as he glanced from Sam to Domino.

"I offer this soul to you, Semaj. All hail the Storm," Dark Child said as he completed the spell and in a flash of fiery light, Bling was encased in a fiery cocoon and shot off into the sky.

"Roxy! What did you do with her, you witch?" Sunspot shouted at the Horseman of Hell.

"I sent her to the Statue of Liberty to be given up as a sacrifice to open the gates for Semaj to come through. Now I will kill you all and then go join the welcoming party for Semaj," Dark Child said as fire burned from her eyes.

"Wrong, Illyana, your time as ruler of limbo was over. Now you'll pay for what you and my mother did to me," Amanda Sefton said as she flew at Dark Child with a surprise in her hands.

Calling forth all her magic and soul, Amanda raised the Soul Sword high above her head. Reeling all she had, she swung the sword slicing right through the Horseman. Amanda and the sword fell to the ground, drained as Dark Child screamed in pain. In a flash of fiery light, Dark Child exploded as Amanda used what energy she had left to send the remaining demons back to limbo.

"Illyana, is she dead?" Dani gasped looking through the smoke.

"No, look," Sam said as the smoke cleared.

Lying on the ground was the still coma-like body of Illyana Rasputin in her nightgown. To her right was a giant pile of ashes in the shape of a female demon. Sam and Cable knelt down near the body of Illyana as Dani and Karma helped Amanda stand. Sunspot and Magma tended to the wounded as Sally and Rusty helped with the other students. This battle was over and they had won, minus the missing Bling.

"No sign of N'astirh," Shatterstar said as he, Rusty and Sally returned from their quick search.

"I'm sure he went into hiding like the coward he is," Amanda said with a sigh.

"How is she?" Sam asked Cable.

"Not sure, but from what I can tell there is only one mind now," Cable said looking at Illyana.

"What about Bling?" Giantess asked out loud.

"It seems that what ever is going down is taking place at the Statue of Liberty. We need to get there and save Bling and stop whoever this Semaj is and make him pay," Sunspot said.

"I agree, we all head there accept the students. Sam, I will give you the location of Summersville and you will take them there while the rest of us go after Semaj and save Bling," Cable said.

"Wrong, I'm in charge here and I'll be going too," Sam said staring at Cable.

"Sam, you're right. You are in charge here that is way you need to go back to Summersville. If something bad happens and we're all killed, the survivors will need a strong leader to guide them and protect them and that leader is you," Cable said clapping his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Sam, he's right. They need you," Dani said hugging him tight.

After a few minutes of silence, Sam agreed with Cable. His first priority was to the students and survivors. He needed to go back to Summersville and make sure all was okay there and then he could decide his next course of action. After a few minutes, Sam was surprised when two ships landed. Cable had communicated with Blaquesmith to send them transport. Cable and Sam made the quick decisions and everyone boarded their ship.

Sam kissed Dani goodbye as he led his group onto a ship. Loa, Wind Dancer, Indra, and Giantess helped carry Onyxx and Illyana onto the ship. Hellion and the rest of Mutant Force ran off into the ship as Armor, Match and Trance walked on with Specter and Anole. After a little debate is was suggested that Karma and Skids both head back so they said their goodbyes and boarded with Rockslide and Luna. Cable and Dani waved as the ship blasted off and headed for Summersville.

"Okay, you can come out now," Cable said as a group of figures came out of the other ship.

"Oh no, I don't think so," Dani said growing angry at Cable.

"Sorry, Bobby was right and they have proven themselves and deserve the right to rescue their teammate," Cable said.

"Sam will be furious," Dani shouted.

"He won't realize their gone till they get to Summersville. Plus, with what I think is coming we can use their firepower," Cable said as he motioned his team onto the ship.

Dani glared as Giantess, X-23, Wicked, Freakshow, Rockslide and Hellion followed Cable and Sunspot quickly onto the ship. She knew she should stop them from going, but she was out numbered. She would have to watch over them and make sure she brought them back safely. Dani grumbled to herself as she and Magma helped Amanda onto the ship. Once the others, Domino, Rusty, Tosha, Shatterstar, Meltdown, Shola and Omega Sentinel boarded the ship, it blasted off and headed for the Statue of Liberty. Dani didn't know what they were up against, but if they all survived it, she was going to kill Cable and Bobby.

**Next: Issue #16 – Demon Storm Aftermath**

**But first, check out the following issues for the final battles with the other Horsemen of Hell:**

**Salem-X #18 – Demon Storm Part Ten**

**New Exiles #17 – Demon Storm Part Eleven**

**Power Pack #14 – Demon Storm Part Twelve**

**Wild Pack #14 – Demon Storm Part Thirteen (Final Issue)**

**Alpha Squads #14 – Demon Storm Part Fourteen (Final Issue)**

**Mutant Generation Force #15 – Demon Storm Part Fifteen**

**X-Calibur #14 – Demon Storm Part Sixteen**

**Sensational X-Men #14 – Demon Storm Part Seventeen**

**Then Read: Demon Storm #2 – Demon Storm – Part Eighteen – The Conclusion**


	17. Demon Storm Aftermath

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #16 – Demon Storm Aftermath**

_**Statue of Liberty – New York**_

Dani sat on the crown of the Statue looking out into the once again blue sky. She was thankful, once again a large threat had come at them and they had prevailed. But, they had lost a number of their own once again. She hated this feeling. Was this what Xavier and the older X-Men always felt and dealt with when she and her teammates were younger and just starting out? Dani wasn't sure what to think, but she knew the best any of them could do was do their best to pick up the pieces and move forward and deal with whatever life threw at them next. But how much can one person endure?

The X-Men take off into space and vanish leaving her and Sam in charge of the school and its students. Right off the bat, they get into a battle with the Upstarts who were being led by the combine team of Shadow King and Cassandra Nova. They may have defeated them but they still lost a few of their own and Shadow Nova was still out there with the rouge mutants. They did gain a few of their own who they thought had died and the sister of Moira MacTaggert, Mona. But with Mona, they found out some interesting stuff.

It seemed Xavier had some secrets when it came to the formation of the X-Men. When he had recruited his X-Men, he sent their siblings to a training lab with Moria. When his X-Men were captured he took those siblings and sent them off on a rescue mission. When they all died, Xavier erased them from everyone's memories as if they'd never existed. He then recruited the next wave and they had relatives that had been sent to Moria. In fear, Moria used her mutant powers to insert these kids back into their lives. Some went back and others got whole new lives. Either way, no one, including Xavier would recall them or the list. So the secret agenda ended along with what happened, until Mona came clean.

Now a group of them all know about what Xavier and Mona did. This information will affect many lives and has with those tied to it that was in the group that got the information from Mona. For now, they all agreed not to tell anyone or act on this until Xavier was found and they could confront him first. It's tough, because she knows Sam wants to look for his real parents, Amara wants to find Daken and tell Sunpyre what had happened to them. She also knows that there are a few that want to start hunting these secrets out now but she knows that this will end up opening a Pandora's Box that could result in the end of the X-Men if pursued.

She wasn't sure what she should do since she wasn't a part of the conspiracy, but she did have to admit that her trust and faith in Xavier is in question. She was about to talk more about it with Sam but never got the chance. The next great disaster hit the school while under their care. It seemed that an evil demon lord named Semaj had taken control of Illyana Rasputin and forced her to set up a device that destroyed the whole school in a beam of fire that would lead to the formation of the portal to let Semaj through.

The only reason she was here was because Sam's powers had saved them. Others had made it out but some like Empath and Tom Corsi did not. The group that made it out of the beam tried to come up with a plan when Illyana was turned into a Horseman and attacked them. They managed to kill the Horseman but not before she captured one of the students, Bling and sent her to New York to be sacrificed and gave back Illyana demon free but in a coma. They decided they had to act and save Bling, so the group would split up.

Dani and Cable would lead the fight to New York while Sam took the students back to Summersville. Dani's stomach still turned when she thought about that. Summersville was one of Cable's secret safe houses. Before the Beam hit, Cable acted fast and was able to do a mass teleport to get as many mutants to safety as he could. At this point no one knows how many or who managed to survive the beam but Sam was on his way there to organize and take charge of those survivors. She hated the thought have having to find out who, once again didn't survive a mutant attack, but she had to be thankful, if not for Cable there wouldn't be any to find out about.

On their way to New York they had discovered one of the students, Beak on board with a group of reality hoppers called the X-Terminators. It had thrown them at first since a few of their members looked like mutants they knew, like Mimic and Storm. They had gotten stranded here and were looking for a way home. Dani didn't know what to make of them but all was put out of perspective when their ship was destroyed by flying demons. It appeared that Bling and seven others had been sacrificed. They were too late, the gates were open and Semaj was coming through. As they landed safely on the crown they were among other heroes.

It seemed Xavier's mystic branch, Salem-X was there along with another reality hopping group called the Exiles who happened to be friends with the X-Terminators. As they battled for their lives Dani was busy trying to keep track of the students. She was surprised how well they were handling themselves. Maybe she needed to have a little more faith and trust with her students. All was going well with the battle. Dani could still see it all playing out in her mind.

The flying demons seemed to be shrugging off the fire power from Sunspot, Magma and Rusty. It appeared that these demons might be immune to fire but that was it. Meltdown managed to throw her bombs in their mouths causing them to explode into dust while X-23 and Shatterstar sliced them until they had no choice but to become dust. Giantess was holding her own but was taking a lot of bruises even in her giant form.

"A little help here," Giantess called out as dozens of demons swarmed on her.

Dani moved in her direction but stopped when she saw the demons suddenly fly in different directions. Dani smiled as she saw the four telekinesis masters at work. Shola and Hellion flew through the air as they sent demons fling with the force of their minds. Cable and Tosha worked side by side while they used their minds and followed up with their guns to turn demons to dust. Father and daughter fought brilliantly.

Dani still didn't know what to make of Cable's daughter. She had come here as part of the Upstarts to kill them all. She had been led to believe that Cable and the X-Men were the enemy. Thanks to Cable opening his mind to hers she saw the light and now fought by their side to make amends. Dani still didn't trust her but everyone was allowed a second chance and the benefit of the doubt. She just hoped things didn't turn out like they had for Cable's son, Tyler.

Reality hit big time when events began to happen too fast. Semaj had come through the portal and was kicking butt left and right. Amanda Sefton along with Strange and his Midnight Sons were throwing everything they had at the creature and were being tossed aside like rag dolls. She could no longer account for three of their students, Freakshow, Wicked or Rockslide. Dani shivered as a small part of her Valkarie powers kicked in as she could see death swarming all around the city. She knew death was coming but for who, she could not tell.

"Dani, watch out!" Wicked shouted out as she tackled Dani to the ground.

Wicked had pushed Dani out of the way seconds before something smashed into the ground where she had been standing with great force. Dani got to her feet to see what it was and then gasped. It was Karima, the Omega Sentinel. Dani ran to her side and looked down on her. She was a mess of flesh and machine. Semaj had done a number on her.

"Magma, we need you. Karima is in bad shape," Dani called out.

Magma was there in an instant and knelt down and called on her powers. She began to glow with fire as magma flowed from her hands and covered Karima's body. After a few seconds the magma cooled, dried and flaked off. Karima was still in bad shape but the human and flesh part of her had been healed. Dani helped Amara in lifting Karima when a demon came at them. Before they could react a blast hit the demon in the head causing it to turn to dust.

"Cable has signaled for another ship to come. Keep her protected till it gets here," Domino said as she passed by them with her gun still smoking.

"Wicked, stay here with Magma and Karima. I was worried about you but now I have to find Freakshow and Rockslide," Dani said shifting Karima from her shoulder to Wicked's shoulder.

"They are both okay. I just saw them over that way fighting demons," Wicked said as Dani's sigh of relief ended with the final series of events.

Dani saw Leech in Doctor Strange's power. A powerful ball of energy left Leech and Strange slamming into Semaj as it reverted Leech to a normal human looking appearance. The blast had no effect on Semaj as he laughed and powered up to send a very powerful blast. Movement caught her eye as she saw X-Calibur moving in. Dani felt sick to her stomach and called out in fear as she saw the death mark hovering over the team of mutants from overseas. As Dani moved towards them she watched in terror as a blast from Semaj disintegrated Roma and then consumed all of X-Calibur. When the dust cleared, all that was left of X-Calibur was a giant pile of ashes.

"No!" Amanda Sefton screamed as she saw the death of her one time love, Nightcrawler.

As Doctor Strange and his Midnight Sons destroyed Semaj in a blaze of magical glory, the mutants all gathered at the spot where X-Calibur had once been. Dani couldn't believe it, they were all dead. Brian Braddock, Kurt Wagner, Rachel Grey, Kitty Pryde and her dragon Lockheed, Pete Wisdom, Shamrock, Shiro Yoshida and Meggan had all sacrificed their lives to help save the world. Dani broke down in tears as she tried to figure how they would tell Sunpyre about the big secret on top of her brother now being dead. She suddenly felt Nathan's pain pierce through all their minds as he called out Rachel's name mentally.

"Father, why do you scream for this Rachel?" Tosha asked as he rubbed her temples.

"Rachel Grey was my sister, your aunt," Cable said as tears ran down his face.

"Oh," was all Tosha could say. "It was a noble sacrifice."

"That is was," Emma Frost said as she, Bishop, Havok and Slipstream approached the group of mutants. Rouge, with tears had gone to comfort Amanda at them both losing Kurt.

"Emma," Nathan said as he noticed not only was she still wet from being thrown in the water earlier but she was becoming more comfortable in her new form.

"Oh, Emma, where are the other X-Men? The school has been destroyed," Dani, Sunspot, Hellion and others all began at once.

"Enough, Cable let's make this quick," Emma said as she and Cable joined minds and instantly caught everyone up to speed.

Dani, Cable and the other mutants learned about the X-Men's battle in space to Emma and the other eight surviving and battling Apocalypse and Ozymandias while Emma and the other four X-Men learned about the Upstarts, Shadow Nova, the destruction of the school and everything leading up to this moment. The hint was there and before Cable could stop it Emma gasped as she ripped out the information and they learned about Mona, Xavier and his big secret. The five X-Men stood speechless for a moment.

"You got to be kidding me. Kurt is my real brother and Mystique and Destiny are my real parents?" Rouge said as the thought made her dizzy.

"Xavier, that jerk! I have another brother and he kept him and his death from me. Just wait till I get my hands on him," Havok growled in anger.

"Scott will flip when he learns of his brother and of Jean's sister. Now you know why I never trusted the man and turned down his offer to join him back in the beginning," Frost said.

"We need to move out here. The other heroes have clean up under control and we've got to tend to our own," Cable said looking around and thinking of those back at Summersville.

"Not yet, there are a few items to tend too. Dani, please join me," Emma said as she and Dani left the group.

Emma and Dani approached Wanda. They briefed her on her father and sister and then took Leech into their custody. She also informed her that her connection with Xavier and his funding was over. If she chose to keep the team going it would not be at the sacrifice of their money or mutant children. Wanda wasn't happy, but Leech wanted to go back with his friends and Wanda would rather have no ties to Emma. Then after a brief exchange with the Exiles, WizKid and Beak also joined them. Beak would go back to his family and WizKid would once again be a ward of the Institute.

"What will we do about the school?" Dani asked Emma.

"I have already contacted Xavier's connections mentally and gave the rest of the information to Bobby. Xavier's insurance money, along with withdrawing of spare Shiar technology that he had hidden away, the Institute should be fully rebuilt in about a week or two," Emma said as Cable's ship arrived.

"That's good to hear. It'll be enough to reorganize the students and pick up the pieces and have to worry about how to rebuild another school," Dani said.

"That's why it will be more important than ever that you and Sam take control of Summersville and ensure those students have a sense of normalcy and safety again. Get the school up and running and move forward," Emma said.

"What are you talking about? You're not taking back control?" Magma asked.

"No, Scott and the others are still lost somewhere out there in space and I'm going to find them and bring them home," Emma said.

"I want to come along," Sunspot said.

"No, you all have squads and must continue what we asked you to start. I know the pain of losing students, but you have to take it and use it to make you stronger and ensure it won't happen again, even though it may," Emma said looking at Dani, Sunspot, and Magma.

"The students are all on board and the wounded are going to be okay, even Karima," Domino said as she walked up to Cable, Dani, Sunspot, Magma, Emma, Havok, Bishop, Rouge, Slipstream and Emma Frost.

"Great, then we should be going," Dani said filling anxious to get back to Sam.

"Nathan," Havok said looking at his nephew.

"As much as I would love to join the search, I think you can bring my dad home. Once I get Dani and Sam setup at Summersville me and X-Force will be hunting down Shadow Nova and her crew. With Apocalypse gone, we need to go out there and make sure any other big threats towards the students are taken care of," Cable said.

"That's what Scott would want," Havok said as the two also shared a mental moment of silence for Rachel and the others.

"Well, we were only babysitting there temporarily helping with security before moving out," Domino said itching to get moving.

"That is why I'll be going back with you," Bishop said.

"Don't worry; he will not be running things. That'll be you and Sam's job. He'll only be there to run security and improve your defenses," Emma said to Dani.

"I'll be staying behind to assist Bishop and you guys in anyway. With all I've been through and the stripping down of my powers, I need a break," Rouge said as she confirmed mentally the true agenda with Emma.

"Amanda?" Doctor Strange astral form appeared for a moment and then vanished.

"What was that about?" Dani and Rouge questioned the ruler of limbo.

"My mother died as a Horseman trying to kill X-Calibur and Illyana has had her connection to limbo severed. I'll take back the title of Queen of Limbo and Strange will help me restore the order. In return, I've promised to fill the vacant spot on his Secret Defenders team," Amanda said as she began to say her good-byes.

"Amanda, before you go, could you send us on our way?" Emma asked mentally sending a location to her.

"Sure," Amanda said as the X-Men said their good-byes as Amanda, Emma, Havok and Slipstream vanished in a mystical puff of smoke.

"Well, time to go check on Sam and the others and begin the process of picking up the pieces," Dani said as she, Domino, Cable, Sunspot, Magma, Rouge and Bishop headed into Cable's ship and headed to Summersville.

**Next: Issue #17 – Rebuilding - Part One **

**Plus, don't forget to check out the following issues for the Demon Storm Aftermath:**

**Salem-X #19**

**New Exiles #18**

**Power Pack #15**

**Mutant Generation Force #16**

**X-Calibur #15**

**Sensational X-Men #15**


	18. Rebuilding Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #17 – Rebuilding - Part One**

_**Summersville – Cable's Mutant Safe House**_

Dani looked out the ship's window as they began to land and she didn't know where they were at all. Cable had his safe house well hidden. As they had flown through the air, the ship caused a hue that made it hard to get a location geographically. Then, as they began to decelerate, the world seemed to shimmer and then a spilt second later they were in a hangar bay landing. It bothered her that she was kept in the dark, but it made her feel at ease that she and all the other mutants were hidden and kept completely safe. Which right now, they really needed.

"We're set and secure," Domino said over her shoulder at Cable.

"Okay, let's get out of here and those who need it to medical," Cable said back where Karima was being kept.

"Amara, you assist with that, Bobby and Rusty I want you to take all the students and get them with the others," Dani said feeling the need to take charge.

"Bobby, Blaquesmith and Xi'an are already down there and waiting for you. They will get you familiar and direct you all where you need to go. Rouge, Bishop, Tabitha, and Shatterstar go with Domino. She and the rest of X-Force will fill you in on what is needed to be done," Cable said taking over.

"Cable," Dani began to protest when he held up his hand.

"Dani, don't worry. I've been in contact with Sam going over game plans. He's already waiting for you down there," Cable smiled as he saw her expression change and light up.

As everyone departed the ship, Dani looked from left to right. They were in a medium sized hanger. There were a few other ships besides the one they had come in. Looking around she had no idea how a ship could get in or out. They only noticeable entrance or exit was a large door that Cable and the others were heading for. She saw X-Force, Xi'an Blaquesmith walking up to meet them. All Dani could think about was what lay beyond those doors and the unknown with her students. She sighed as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Looking for me?" Sam said turning Dani around to face him.

"Oh, Sam, I'm so glad to see you," Dani said as she kissed him.

"Me too, Dani. You know how hard it was for me not to go racing to you while watching the battle on the monitors?" Sam said.

"So you saw it all?" Dani asked.

"Off and on while I was getting things situated here. What I didn't see Cable filled me in telepathically," Sam answered.

"We were too late to save Bling. Another student I've lost," Dani said with tears.

"Don't blame yourself. Seven good souls died and I don't think there was anything anyone could've done. Hopefully after this, there will be no more of our own we'll have to mourn and bury," Sam said as he stopped hugged her tight.

"Then you know about Emma and the X-Men?" Dani asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, and I hope they can bring them back to us. The thought of all the X-Men lost somewhere in space makes my stomach turn. As much as I would like to go search for them, I know we are both needed much more here," Sam said.

"Sam, there's a chance they may never come back. I really think that we need to be prepared to run this school for the foreseeable future," Dani said looking into Sam's eyes.

"I hate to say this, but I feel you're right. I think the school is ours now to run. I think from this moment on we take charge of this place as if it's ours and not as if we're just babysitting the place," Sam said.

"I agree and I know that the two of us working together we'll build and teach the next force of mutants for generations to come," Dani said smiling nervously.

"And despite what Xavier or any of the others before us may have done or been up to, we'll leave a legacy to be proud of," Sam said smiling back.

"Speaking of the school, what about the staff and students?" Dani asked as fear dug at her gut.

"There's been a lot to do when I first got here but everyone will be brought up to speed in our staff planning and rebuilding meeting. Everyone should be gathering there shortly," Sam said as he led Dani onwards going over the meeting agenda and important decisions to be made.

They left the hanger and found themselves in a tunnel that only led forward. Dani noticed that there was nothing on either wall to her sides and the tunnel forward looked never ending. As they walked Dani turned to Sam to ask him how they were to get anywhere when Sam muttered the name of a conference room. She instantly felt a strange sensation as the world went blurry and then she found herself standing next to Sam in a large conference room with a large round table. It seemed this place was continuing to amaze her.

"Trust me, I've been here a little longer than you and I still have no idea how big this place is. All I know is this place is setup on teleporting and keyed to only a certain number of our voice patterns," Sam said as they turned to face the room.

She saw Cable sitting at the table with Domino sitting next to him. Sam assured her that they were in charge and he asked Cable to be in on this meeting, especially since this was his safe house and he did save just about everyone in the mansion. Dani didn't care, soon she and her students will be back in their school and Cable and his X-Force will be out there hunting down their threats. The only thing she cared about now was finding out who was alive and moving forward from there.

As she and Sam took their seats at the head of the table she was glad to see a lot of familiar faces. Next to her was Xi'an Manh, leader of the Alpha Squadron and Luna who was in charge of the Kitchen. Next to Sam was his mother Lucinda who also helped with the kitchen and the younger students. In order for her to fit in and except her new lifestyle, Sam had permanently placed her on staff. Dani agreed with this and Sam knew he didn't really need to talk that over with her before he did it. Dani smiled as she squeezed Xi'an's hand and looked at the other faces.

Sitting next to Luna and circling around to a few empty chairs was Roberto DaCosta leader of Mutant Force, Amara Aquilla leader of Exemplars, Rahne Sinclaire leader of Paragons and then Julio Rictor leader of Excelsiors. Sitting next to Lucinda and circling around to the other side of the empty chairs was Sally Blevins who helps look after the underage kids. As much as she was glad to see all of them alive and well, it pained her to look at the empty chairs. The loss of Manuel de la Rocha, Tom Corsi and Warlock, who Sam nodded in confirmation when she looked at the empty chairs and back to him.

"Shall we begin?" Sam said as Dani nodded and composed herself.

"First, I want to say how glad I am to see all of you sitting at this table," Dani said with a smile.

"Same here, Dani. Just watching you battle in New York and not being able to help just bugged me," Wolfsbane said.

"Yes, and even tough we won I lost another student," Sunspot swore.

"I wish we could have saved Roxy," Dani began to say.

"Bling will be one of many we'll mourn and hold a large memorial service for once we are back at the mansion," Sam said as everyone sighed at what was soon to be covered.

"Yes, but before we move on to the status of the students we have a few things to cover first. With the loss of Warlock, Tom Corsi and Empath we need to fill their spots," Dani said trying to hold back her tears.

"If it's okay, in honor of Emma's team I'd like to assume the role of leadership over the Hellions," Sunspot said.

"Sorry, Roberto but your squad needs you more than ever. Having lost members before and now Bling, I don't think it's wise to take their leader from them," Dani said.

"Be as it may, I feel my place," Roberto said starting to argue with Dani.

"Is right where you are. We feel you need to stay where you are and we have someone else in mind for the Hellions," Sam said.

"But Emma," Sunspot began.

"Is no longer in charge here, they are. Now sit down and listen up," Cable said sending a silencing glare at Roberto.

"Cable, we can handle our own disputes," Sam snapped.

"Sam," Dani said placing a hand on his leg. "As you know, Emma is gone and we will cover more on this later when the other staff members are here. Bottom line is we are in charge and if you don't like it you can leave," Dani said as she felt in control.

"Well?" Sam said looking at Roberto and then the others.

"Fine," Roberto said crossing his arms as everyone else smiled in affirmation to Sam and Dani.

"As you all know, Rouge had come back here with us and we've decided to ask her to take over leadership of the Hellions," Dani said.

"We think she has what it takes to handle them and keep them on the right track. We'd also like to put her in charge of discipline and move you Xi'an to the role of counselor. Any objections or thoughts before we make the decision final?" Sam asked the group.

"Can she handle not being in charge since she's an actual X-Man?" Sally asked.

"Yes, she has no desire to be in charge. After what she's been through she would prefer to step back, plus she is really one of us," Sam said thinking of what they had learned about Rouge and the rest of them that had once been teammates under Moira MacTaggert before that was taken from them.

"Then welcome her aboard," Amara said as everyone nodded.

"Welcome, Anna," Dani said as Rouge bodyslid into an empty chair and Sam confirmed her role with the school. Dani was glad to see Rouge back to normal, minus the all white hair she now had.

"Now, another former X-Man that has come back is Bishop. With Warlock gone and Cable and his X-Force leaving soon, we would like to bring him on staff to completely handle all school security and defenses," Sam said.

No one objected as Bishop appeared in another empty chair. Dani wasn't sure about the man but Sam had worked by his side and vouched for him. Bishop had no desire to lead and after looking at his track record she felt they would be in safe hands. She looked at the final two chairs and Sam nodded to her.

"The last vacant spot is that of Tom Corsi, the Phys Ed teacher. We've decided to ask Rusty Collins to take that role," Dani said as everyone nodded and Sally clapped with excitement as Rusty appeared in one of the chairs.

"Welcome, Flashfire," Sam smiled at the newcomer.

"What? Yes, after all this time I've decided to be like the rest of you and take a codename if I'm going to become a part of this," Rusty smirked at everyone who was staring at him.

"You said last vacant spot, but there's one more chair?" Xi'an asked suddenly.

"Yes, we've decided to create one more squad. This squad will be different than our squads. Where are squads are learning, this squad will be the next level. Those who graduate from our squads will move on to this one. This squad will be trained to go into battle and will actually go on missions. These mutants are those who are ready and geared towards graduating to our level and be actual X-Men," Sam said.

"We've decided to call this squad, Generation Next. Theresa Rourke and Mona MacTaggert will be leading this team," Dani said.

"I think we can all agree on Theresa but Mona?" Rahne asked.

"Mona was manipulated by Xavier and Cassandra. She was once a friend to some of us in another life. I think we can give her a chance and Cable has cleared her. She will not come to our staff meetings and will report directly to Theresa who answers only to me and Dani," Sam said.

After a little mumbling everyone accepted the decision as Theresa was teleported into the final chair. Dani smiled at everyone. They had made some great decisions and had the staff and school ready to go in the right direction. Sam had thrown the Generation Next idea at her and it made sense. No one ever had a plan where their students would go after they graduate. This gave them an incentive to stay and be a part of a group that directly trains to be "X-Men" and follow their dream of mutant coexistence.

"Any disagreements then?" Sam said as Dani snapped back to focus as Sam ended his speech about Emma and the missing X-Men and how Dani and Sam were in charge and taking everyone and the school forward. No one disagreed as Sunspot kept his comments to himself and huffed under his breath.

"Now the school should be done within a week. This will give us time to spend one on one time with our squads and help them through this crisis. We will have daily staff meetings and by the time we move into the school we'll know clearly were we're going as a school and move forward with a fresh start," Dani said as everyone nodded.

"I really like where this is going. I've every faith in you two, Dani and Sam and your staff," Cable said as his other fellow future man Bishop nodded in agreement.

"How long will you be staying with us?" Sam asked looking at Cable.

"Karima will be ready to go by tomorrow," Domino said.

"Then we'll be heading out first thing tomorrow. We have another base we'll be working out of. Blaquesmith and Irene will stay behind and help you with anything you may need and then transport you all home when you're ready. If you need anything, I'm a call away," Cable as he and Domino got up.

"Thanks for everything, Cable," Dani said.

"I'm proud of you, Sam," Cable said as Sam took his hand. They may not have always gotten along, but they had a new understanding and respect for each other.

"Thanks," Sam said as Cable hugged Dani and then vanished from the room with Domino as well as their chairs and the table condensing in size.

"Now to the part we've all been dreading," Sam said as everyone grew quiet.

"I know Cable was able to save a majority of the students but we did lose some unfortunately. I started getting those here organized and calmed down and assigned roster taking. We'll go around the room and have everyone fill us in on each of your squads. Mom, Sally?" Sam said looking at his mother.

"For the good news, just about all the underage, grade school level and non-squad member kids made it, including your siblings Lewis, Lea and Cleo as well as Xi'an's siblings Leong and Nga. The St. Croix twins survived too," Lucinda said.

"And the bad news?" Dani asked with a quiver in her throat.

"We lost a total of twenty," Sally said as she began to cry. Luna, Lucinda and herself had worked and played with many of them that had died.

"I can't believe that," Dani cried out.

"With Xi'an's help, we've been doing our best to council the kids and keep them from wanting to leave the school," Luna said as Xi'an squeezed her hand.

"It'll take time, but with all our help and our new staff we can help them through this tragedy. What about the parents?" Sam asked.

"Those that we could reach or would even care have been notified," Rictor said.

"What about the parents of the kids that are still here?" Dani asked.

"Only five have pulled their kids, but I can't blame them being a parent myself. We've already made arrangements to send them home," Lucinda said as Sam ached at his mom's heavy heart.

"That's too bad. Bishop, I will want to keep those kids that have left monitored so we can keep them safe. Maybe in time we can bring them back," Dani said.

"I think we can hook something up with Cerebra when the school is fully up and functional," Bishop said.

"Good and what about the others?" Sam said asking Siryn.

"Synch, Jubilee, Chamber, Husk and M are all fine," Siryn said.

"So you all know those five will be placed in Generation Next. Any word on Illyana?" Dani asked.

"She's healthy and all her vitals are strong. We don't know what is keeping her in her coma," Magma said as she shared Blaquesmith's report.

"What about the telepaths?" Sam asked.

"They indicate no brain damage but when they try to look into her dreams or go into her mind they can't get through. They don't want to press for now in fear of causing damage," Amara said.

"I agree, we'll just have to keep a close eye on her and hope she pulls through," Dani said still feeling some of the distrust her staff had from Illyana's part as the Horseman of Hell.

"Now, last but not least, onto the status of our individual squads, Sam said as they all nervously pulled up their individual data pads.

"Oh, gods no," Dani cried as she saw hers for the first time.

_**Epilogue**_

Callisto knelt down and tended the best she could to her fellow Morlocks wounds. After Callisto, Thornn and Feral had left the X-Mansion they had taken the sewers and decided to head back to the Morlock's underground. She knew the Morlock's were disorganized and have been through a lot and she felt it was time to unify them again. As they got closer she sensed something and Feral and Thorn could smell major death. Before she could react, they came upon Erg a former friend and Morlock.

Erg was badly beaten. Before he passed out, he had said that he had barely escaped and that something was massacring all the Morlocks. Thornn and her sister wanted to tear down the tunnels but Callisto's gut told her that it wasn't wise. So she sent Feral back to get help from Cable or the other mutants while she tended to Erg and Thornn stood guard. It had been a long time and Callisto was beginning to get worried when Feral came running back in a panic.

"What's wrong, are they coming to help us?" Callisto asked.

"I never reached them," Feral said.

"What are you talking about? You've been gone for hours, what have you been doing, sister?" Thornn asked.

"When I reached the spot where the entrance to the X-Mansion is, it was blocked by a wall of fire," Feral said.

"What are you talking about?" Callisto asked growing annoyed and worried.

"Just what I said, a wall of fire. Then it suddenly vanished and there was nothing but a gaping hole leading straight up and down. As I turned to come back, it magically filled in with earth. I have a bad feeling that the mansion and everyone that was in it is gone," Feral said looking at her other two companions.

"Then we face this creature ourselves," Thornn growled.

"What choice do we have?" Callisto asked rhetorically.

"You could die like the others," a figure wearing a black suit with a red diamond in the middle said stepping toward them from the shadows.

"Sinister," Callisto said coming to her feet as Feral and Thornn stood side by side with her.

"Oh no, don't let the suit fool you. After I killed Sinister, I liked it so much I took it for myself," the man said stepping in the light revealing his white skinned face, blond hair and red eyes.

"Calvin Rankin?" Feral asked as her memory from the X-Files and picking up a small familiar scent placed a little familiarity to the stranger.

"Murderer!" Thornn shouted as she leapt at the man.

"I go by Modifier now. Calvin, like Sinister is dead to the world just as you all will be," the mutant once known as Mimic said as he swiped out with his claw like fingers and sliced open Thornn's arms causing her to fall to the ground in convulsions.

**Next: Issue #18 – Rebuilding - Part Two **


	19. Rebuilding Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #18 – Rebuilding - Part Two**

_**Summersville – Conference Room**_

Everyone sat in silence while many sighed and wiped tears. They had just gone through their list to update everyone on the status of their squads, who had survived and hadn't. It was tough for everyone, even those who may not have known some of the students or only new a little about them. It hit Dani the hardest since she was now in charge and responsible for all the students at the school. Sam squeezed her hand. They had each other for support and would help get everyone through this as well as each other.

Dani had known, before looking at her data pad that Wind Dancer had survived since she had been one of the students to survive the fire and go back with Sam. She was glad that Prodigy, Surge, Elixir and Icarus had made it out alive. What had caused her to gasp earlier was when she saw Wallflower, Laurie Collins' name on the list of students who did not make it. Her hart ached, it was her squad's first loss and she felt compelled to be with them. She would have plenty of time to do that after the meeting, she hoped.

Sam had been lucky. Specter had been with the group that had survived with them outside the beam of fire and the Cuckoos were part of Cables' rescue force. Lucky for Quill and Dryad, they had been with the Cuckoos when the mass teleport took place. It was a blessing, for it might have been harder for Sam to keep it together and help her keep things in order if he was distracted by a loss on his squad. This school needed him as much as she did. Dani glanced over at Xi'an and Luna.

Xi'an had been just as lucky with her squad. Half of her team had been with them outside of the beam so she had already known Anole, Loa and Indra were safe and at Summersville. Rubbermaid, Kidogo and Network had survived since Network was connected to her sister and had been locked on right away when the teleport took place. With Xi'an taking up the role as school counselor, she would have an easier time breaking away and helping the other students if she knew her team was okay and didn't have to focus all her time on them. As lucky as she and Sam had been, like Dani, not all the squads were as fortunate.

Dani didn't have to be an empath to know the anger and pain Roberto was going through as well as his students. His team had suffered losses during the Upstart attack and had just gotten new members and started to heal when the Demon Storm came. His whole squad was lucky to make it out of the beam only to have Bling kidnapped by the Horseman of Hell and sent to the Statue of Liberty to be sacrificed. They tried to get there in time but were too late. Roxy, along with seven others had died. Now they would have to cope with another loss and a teacher who didn't want them as a squad anymore. It was sad and Dani felt for those kids.

As for the Hellions, Rockslide and Hellion had both made it and survived the Storm battle. Even though Tag, Mercury, Wither and Dust had survived they still had to suffer a loss. Wither was trying to cope with the loss of his love, Wind Dancer as the whole squad had to suffer the loss of their teacher, Empath. She just hoped that they would except Rouge as their new leader and that she could help them and stir them down the path of riotousness. As much as Roberto wanted this squad, her gut told her that they had a better chance with Rouge.

Like Dani, Amara and her squad had suffered a great loss. Dani had known right away that Melt had died in the beam of fire, but she had hoped that everyone else had made it. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Terri, the mutant known as Glowworm had died in the beam too. She was a quiet student, but always had a smile for anyone that passed her by. While Aura, Shield and Shove had survived, the squad had lost one more and final member. Their leader, Botony had died as well. Magma had to help her squad deal with the loss of friends as well as their squad leader. Luckily this was where the sad news ended.

Dani's friend, Rahne had been lucky too. Her squad had made it all out alive. Match and Trance had made it out of the beam while Wolf Cub, Pixie, D.J. and Preview had made it out with the mass teleportation. Rictor and his squad had made it out alive too. It helped that Armor had been with them outside the beam and their squad leader, Hub was a teleporter. So now that they had finished with the squad updates and gone over the final list of those that had died they finalized the plans for the memorials.

"Now that we have finished with this part of the meeting, now it's time for a little positive rebuilding," Sam said to everyone as they composed themselves and forced themselves to move on toward a better place.

"What are you referring to?" Rahne asked eyeing Sam and Dani.

"As we told you, Siryn and Mona will be training and running Generation Next. Our goal is to make this team eight members strong. Not to big to train and the right size for missions. Basically it will consist of one field leader and seven other X-Men protégés," Dani said.

"Right now we have five members on the team; Synch, Jubilee, Chamber, Husk and M. Before we look elsewhere, Theresa, so you have any strong recommendations for field leader?" Sam asked.

"I would have to say Everett Thomas. With his ability to understand and tap into anyone's powers makes him the powerhouse on the team and the strong will to lead his team effectively and successfully," Siryn said.

"I agree with your choice. Any objections?" Dani asked the staff with no objections.

"Now, we have three more spots to fill. I would like everyone to evaluate your squad and if there is anyone you feel is ready to graduate up to this team enter their name now," Sam said as he pressed a button and mini computers raised up out of the table in front of each of them.

After a few minutes the computers descended back into the table while both Dani and Sam controlled a lap top between them and a holographic image opened up in the center of the table. As Dani and Sam looked at the recommendations, a holographic image of each person appeared as their name was announced.

"As much as I hate to break up my squad and knowing they will hate it too, I really think Prodigy and Wind Dancer have really showed themselves as leaders in training and in battles," Dani said as their images displayed in the middle of the table.

"No way can she have two members of her squad join," Roberto started to object.

"We're not saying both will graduate to the new team. We'll evaluate all the candidates and pick the best three," Sam said.

"Sam's right. Also, this isn't about who's from which squad, this is about choosing those who are truly ready to train to be the next X-Men," Dani said as people nodded and glared at Roberto.

"As for me, I think the Cuckoos are the only ones in my squad who are more than ready to graduate," Sam said.

"Now, do they count as one or three?" Rictor joked.

"We'll have to evaluate and discuss that when it comes time to make our decision," Dani said as Sam nodded.

"Xi'an, how about your squad? Do you have any candidates?" Sam asked.

"I really hate the idea of breaking up the squads," Xi'an said.

"But, it's unfair to the student if you hold back their potential by keeping them in their squads," Luna said looking into Xi'an's eyes.

"At some point we all grow up and they wouldn't be in the squads they are now if they didn't have some desire to be an X-Man. Were we any different?" Sam added.

"Yeah, but not all of us wanted to be X-Men. Some of us were in it for the sense of family we got from our team," Rahne said with a little whimper in her voice.

"Do you suggest that we give them the choice to graduate or not?" Dani asked.

"I can't say I agree with that, but it is like a normal high school. We encourage them and push them to graduate and strive for their true potential," Amara started to say.

"But if they absolutely refuse not to graduate they don't have to," Sam said catching on to her point. "Is this agreeable, we push them to graduate to the Generation X team but if they absolutely refuse they get held back and we graduate the next candidate?"

"And if they do graduate up and don't seem to make it we can remove them and demote them back down till they are ready at a different time?" Dani finished Sam's proposal.

"I think that is wise," Rouge said as others agreed.

"Are we agreed then?" Sam asked looking at Xi'an.

"Yes, I agree even if my selfish nature doesn't want to," Xi'an smiled a little as Luna squeezed her hand.

"Okay, back to the point, any candidates?" Dani asked playfully to Xi'an, trying to get the meeting back on track.

"I would have said Victor Borkowski, but after his recent injuries I think he's better off staying were he is. Honestly, after reviewing her progress and how she handled herself with the Upstarts, I think Sarah Vale is more than capable," Xi'an said.

"Any one else?" Sam asked.

"As mush as I would like to say yes, I think the others need a little more training. They're close but not yet completely ready," Xi'an said.

"Roberto?" Dani asked.

"I think my whole team is ready, except the two newbie's Wicked and Freakshow. They need to continue working as a team before they move up our ranks," Roberto said.

"Elizabeth, Sidney and Laura both will be considered," Sam said sensing Roberto's desire to break away from his current squad out of stubbornness and his loathing of the outsiders on his team.

"Amara?" Dani asked the next teacher.

"Sadly, the only three members I have left are not quite ready," Amara said as Sam and Dani nodded in agreement.

"What about your students, Rahne?" Sam asked.

"I think Ben Hammil and Hope Abbott are ready," Rahne said.

"And you Rictor?" Dani asked.

"I know she's new to my squad and one of those students who were finally forced to join a squad, but I think Armor is ready for the big leagues. That's it for now," Rictor said.

"Rouge, I know you're new to the Hellions and haven't had the chance to get to know them yet so I will take recommendation from the others if that's okay?" Sam asked.

"Yes, that's fine," Rouge said indifferent since she hadn't gotten attached to the squad yet.

"As much as I don't like him, I think Julian has come a long way and is ready to be given a chance," Dani said as others seemed to agree, reluctantly.

After a little bit of debate it was decided that Sooraya and Brian were ready too. They had thought about Kevin Ford but with the loss of Laurie Collins, they felt it unwise to move him into the next level till he deals with his feelings. They had also contemplated Santo Vaccarro, but with the discovery with the new change in his powers, they felt he needed to continue with his training. Sam was happy with the list they had and looked over the list one more time.

"Now, before we finalize the list, are there any others we have over looked? Sally, Rusty, Lucinda, Luna or Bishop, do you have any additions?" Sam asked.

No one had any other suggestions but Sally. She had suggested two other students who had yet to be placed on a squad. Ruth Aldine the mutant known as Blindfold and Nezhno Abidemi the Wakanda mutant known as Gentle. Everyone agreed with Sally on Blindfold but Sam nixed Gentle. His unwillingness to use his powers only in an emergency made him nervous. Dani agreed with Sam that Gentle would be better starting on a squad first. With that they had their final list of sixteen candidates to narrow down to three.

"What about the students to fill the voids we have in our current squads?" Amara asked.

"Actually I had Luna and my mom provide me with a list of students ready to graduate up into squads and students, like Armor and Blindfold who should be in squads but we have laxed in placing them in one," Sam said.

"I was reluctant at first, but I think Sam was right in the fact that all students of a certain age or potential need to be in a squad and not floating around doing nothing. So, those few students we have not yet placed in a squad will be placed in one, whether they like it or not," Dani said.

"Then all is agreed. Let's make the final decision on the three Generation Next members and the squad rosters and call it a day. It won't be long before we can move back into the mansion and then hold the memorial. I want all of us to spend as much time with our squads and the students as we can before then," Sam said as they all nodded and prepared to conclude the meeting.

_**Epilogue**_

"Lucia!" Feral shouted as she leapt to her sister's side.

"What did you do to her?" Callisto demanded as she stood in front of the barely conscious Erg and looking from the convulsing Thornn and the modified Calvin Rankin.

"Hard to say, guess we'll have to watch and find out," Calvin laughed.

"What are you talking about? What did you do to her?" Maria asked as she noticed the scratch wounds sealing shut as her sister's body began to calm down.

"I modified her mutant DNA," Modifier said with a smile.

"I don't believe you. Your files state you only mimic the powers of the original X-Men," Callisto said

"That was the case until I met Mr. Sinister. He took me under his wing, sharing his secrets and promising me to be his protégé. I thought I had found a place in life 'til he locked me in a tube and began experiments on me that turned me into what you see now. My powers had been modified and then some.

"Instead of mimicking the X-Men, my DNA now held a modified aspect of each power. From the Summers DNA I got the power to generate energy within that heals me instead of outward that destroys. From the Grey genetics I can generate a shield around my body. From Worthington I can hollow my bones giving me great agility and I have strength from McCoy's genetics. Lastly, from Drake and Xavier I have resistance to temperatures and have real nice psi-blocks in place.

"That wasn't enough for Essex. He wanted to modify me further making his greatest creation. He got more than he expected. In trying to modify me, he accidentally gave me the ability to modify other's mutant DNA," Modifier smiled as he held up his claw like fingers.

"Explain!" Feral growled as he sister suddenly lay still in her arms.

"I can't control its affects, but when I scratch someone and inject them with my DNA it modifies their genetic code causing one of four reactions. It will either alter their genetics causing them to lose their mutation and become normal, jump start their secondary mutation or it will amplify their current DNA to major omega level causing their body to either adapt and accept the change or reject and burnout killing them," Modify smiled as he looked down at Thornn.

"Are you serious?" Callisto said growing nervous looking at the claws.

"Yes, I did plenty of experimenting to find this all out. Just ask Sinister who ended up like the cat there, losing his powers and becoming normal. Just like Sinister, I'll kill her too," Modifier laughed as they all noticed that Thornn now looked like a normal and pretty woman.

"What happened to me?" Lucia asked sitting up.

"Rankin somehow took away your mutation making you normal," Feral said trying to keep her sister calm.

"No, this can't be," Lucia cried with anger.

"Awe, poor little normal," Modifier laughed causing Feral leap at him, threatening to kill him.

Modifier moved with great agility and sidestepped Feral causing her to shot past him. He then called on his strength to slam his fists down on her back, slamming her into the wall with great bone cracking force. Callisto couldn't even tell if she was alive. Before she could react, Lucia leapt at Rankin which resulted in his claws tearing open her stomach.

"Oh, honey, I should clarify one thing. Once I modify a mutant, no matter the affect, their body instantly becomes immune to me powers. Meaning, no matter how many times I cut you with my claws, nothing will happen, the wound won't close up and you will just bleed to death," Rankin laughed as Lucia tried to hold her stomach in as she began to fade.

"Callisto, we need to get out of here. Fighting him will result in death. Since it looks like the X-Men are no longer able to help, we need to find the other Morlocks on our own and rally together. His number one goal is to finish what Sinister started, total massacre of all Morlocks," Erg said as he used what energy he had left in him and fired a blast at the ceiling causing a dirt cloud around Modifier.

Callisto hated to run but saw the wisdom in Erg's words. She picked Erg up and dodged past Rankin and headed off into the tunnels.

"You can run, but you can't hide. I will find and kill you all," Modifier called after them laughing.

**Next: Issue #19 – Rebuilding - Part Three **


	20. Rebuilding Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #19 – Rebuilding - Part Three**

_**Summersville – Safe House and Temporary Home for the Xavier Institute's Mutants**_

_**New Mutants**_

Dani Moonstar looked at her squad. It had been a week since they had restructured the squads and assigned new students to the vacant spots on each team. She was taken back but not too surprised by the decisions David and Sofia had made. They had originally had talked to Sofia and wanted to graduate her up to Generation Next, but she had declined, just as David did when they went to him as next in line. They were both honored but they felt their place was with the New Mutants.

They felt, the whole team as a group were tightly bonded and would advance up together as New Mutants. Even though they were dealing better with the loss of Laurie Collins, this proved David and Sofia's choice that they were needed with their team. This made Dani very proud to know that her team functioned so well together after the way they were when they first formed. Her team reminded her so much of her team when she was younger that she could see their point in sticking together. This family bond was one of the main reasons Dani was very careful in whom she picked to fill the vacant spot on the squad.

David would remain squad leader, but as always he would share that duty with Sofia. The team didn't mind that at all. Noriko, Josh and Jay had a tough time with Laurie's death but they had all managed to help each other get through it and push forward. Icarus, who had seemed like the outsider had really found his place on the team. Dani had even noticed, even after the death of his true love, had begun to take an interest in their newest squad member. Dani was confident she had made the right choice.

Ruth Aldine the mutant known as Blindfold had become the final member of the New Mutants Squad. She had been considered as a candidate for Generation Next but many weren't sure because of her unique blindness and weird mannerisms. Dani had agreed to visit with her, but had also thought about adding her to her team. As Dani walked into her room, Ruth looked up and told her that she didn't want to join Generation Next and said that her place was with the New Mutants. Dani had paused for a minute and nodded leaving the room knowing this was meant to be the right fit.

"So, when do we move back to the mansion?" Prodigy asked.

"Next week, thank you," Blindfold said as she went back to a game of solitaire.

"Ruth, what have I said about reading minds?" Dani asked glaring at the girl with long dark hair and a yellow and black blindfold that matched their squad's uniform colors.

"No, I didn't read your mind. I had a vision, please," Ruth said as she finished and won another hand.

"Man, isn't she great? I'm so in love," Jay Guthrie smiled.

"You barely know her," Josh Foley said rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but dude, we're always finishing each other's sentences," Jay said.

"Dude, she's a telepath," Surge mocked as she walked up to David and took his hand in hers.

"Yeah, and her powers are kind of freak me out," Prodigy said squeezing her hand with affection.

"I'm glad she's on our team, but I still miss Laurie," Wind Dancer said as her eyes began to water.

"We all do, Sofia," Dani said as she put her arm around her student.

"Yes, Miss Moonstar, We are ready for a training exercise, thank you," Blindfold said as she got up and walked over to the rest of them.

"What she said," Dani gritted her teeth a little as she led her squad to one of the training rooms.

_**The Corsairs**_

"Celeste, are you sure you don't want to join Generation Next?" Sam had asked one of the Cuckoos a week ago.

"Not unless my sisters can join me," Celeste said.

"As much as I would like that, we only have a spot for one and you show the most independence out of your sisters," Sam said.

"We're the three-in-one. It's all of us or none of us," Celeste said.

"I respect your decision and I'm glad to keep the whole squad together," Sam lied as he dismissed Celeste.

Sam was glad to keep his team together but the real truth was that he wanted one of the Cuckoos on Generation Next. Not because they deserved it but because he wanted a direct telepathic link to the team to keep tabs on them. But, just like Dani's squad, his team worked well together and had no desire to split up. With their first three choices a negative, they had to choose the next three candidates. They deserved it, but they weren't his or Dani's first choices. In the end, he knew that the final roster was a better fit.

Sam brought his thoughts back to the present as he studied the video images. The mansion was almost completely done. This time next week they would al be able to move back into the mansion and it'll look like it had never been destroyed. He was also glad that they were able to reconstruct the memorial garden with the addition of their recent loses. They had already agreed that the first day that they moved back in they would hold the memorial immediately after everyone had settled in. After that, they could truly move forward and continue on with The Dream, with or without Xavier or the X-Men.

"We are ready for our training lesson," the Cuckoos said in unison in his mind.

"Be right there," Sam thought back to them.

He hated when they did that, but he had to remind himself, thanks to their part many lives had been saved. Sam was proud of his students and he had nothing but high hopes for them and the school. Things would only get better from here. He just knew it. Sam smiled as he headed off to meet the Cuckoos, Dryad, Specter and Quill, the Corsairs.

_**The Alpha Squadron**_

"Glad to see you're doing better," Xi'an said as she walked in on Anole walking across the room with the help of his teammates and best friends, Loa and Indra.

"He's ready come a long way," Loa said.

"And he is looking good," Indra said and then blushed.

"Thanks, guys. I am feeling better than ever," Anole said smiling.

"That's good to hear. As a whole, how are you all doing?" Xi'an asked looking at the six students.

"I think we're cooping with the change in our squad," Kidogo said.

"Yeah, but I really hate Sarah for leaving us," Rubbermaid said play pouting.

"So do I, but it's a great opportunity for her to graduate to the next level," Xi'an said knowing the mix reaction her squad had when she explained the new team and announced Network's graduation to it.

"Yes it is and one day I hope to be next and on my way to being an X-Man," Anole said smiling.

"As much as I miss Sarah, I'm really glad Nezhno has joined our squad," Loa said blushing a little as she stared at their newest member.

"Thanks," Nezhno said smiling back.

Xi'an looked over at the newest member of her squad. Nezhno Abidemi was a mutant from Wakanda. Black Panther had ranted him permission to come to the United States to train with the X-Men. He had chosen the codename of Gentle, but that described his personality and not his powers. Gentle was one of the powerhouses of the students as he could grow and become very strong. The problem was that he refused to use his powers unless it was absolutely necessary and life threatening. Because of her powers and position of counselor, Dani and Sam had agreed that she and her squad was the best for training and guiding him.

That was the problem with her squad though. Her team had the most potential to be a powerful team but they were all laid back and not very aggressive or offensive in battle. Which was okay, but if they wanted to be X-Men and go into major battles, they would have to learn to be a little more hard core. For now, she would let them be who they were and that seemed to be perfect for Gentle to fit right in. Xi'an sighed and then clapped her hands.

"Okay, let's go get a training session in," Xi'an said as Gentle mumbled something about being glad to partake but would not actively use his powers. Xi'an took a deep breath and followed right after her students to their training room.

_**The Mutant Force**_

Roberto strummed his fingers as he watched his squad in their training room. With all the losses and changes his team had gone through, all six of them seemed to be coping and working well together. They really seemed to want to be fighting together and prove they could be better than the so called Generation Next. Roberto just wished he could feel the same way. He has had nothing but bad luck with this team of Gambits. When they lost Frost, he wanted nothing more than to step up and take her squad, but Dani and Sam saw to stopping that. Instead, they forced him to keep his squad.

Normally he would have stormed off, but he had made a promise to Emma that he would stay here and help keep an eye on this school. He would just have to make the best of it for now with the squad he had. He had tried to graduate them all up, but they had only taken one of his students leaving him with two old members, the two Genosha rejects and two brand new students. He would have no choice but to work with these kids and mold them the best he could. He just wished Elizabeth had been the one to be chosen, but he knew she was still here to keep an eye on him for Sam.

Giantess was still the leader of his squad. With X-23 being graduated off of his team, it just left Onyxx, Wicked, Freakshow and spots for the two new students. Roberto wasn't sure about the two new members, but he had to admit they showed great promise. The first was a kid calling himself Eosimias. He was tiger-like in appearance with three toes, a tail and fingers that ended in sharp claws. On top of his tiger based abilities the kid could fly too. The last member was a kid calling himself Gloom. He could release darkness from his body that causes temporary blindness and despair in his victims.

Whether he liked it or not, Sunspot and this squad were stuck with each other and he would have to make it work. As he watched his squad interact and use their powers, he thought that maybe, just maybe there was potential with this team. The more Sunspot thought about it the more he smiled.

_**The Hellions**_

"I appreciate your vote of confidence, Rouge, but I've got two concerns," Sooraya, the mutant known as Dust said walking up to their new leader, Rouge.

"What is that?" Rouge asked looking up at the girl completely covered from head to toe.

"Am I really the right person to replace Hellion as leader of the squad and lastly, do I really have to wear this ridiculous uniform?" Dust asked tugging at her out fit the color of red and white.

"We have to have uniformity within each squad. I've allowed you to wear your usual attire to honor your beliefs, but it has to be in the colors of the team colors. Also, I believe you can lead this squad. Just have faith in your squad and yourself," Rouge smiled as Dust sighed and walked out.

Rouge still didn't know what to make of her squad but they seemed to be taking to her quite well. She thought they would feel great sadness at the loss of their leader Empath, but it appears that they really didn't like him. It seemed that they were loyal only to Emma Frost and their leader Hellion. Now with Julian graduated over to Generation Next and Dust leading the team Rouge saw a better potential of good within this group. Rouge just hoped she would be tough enough to handle them and lead them in the right direction.

It's not that Rouge lacked the courage or determination; it's just that she had been through a lot lately. First, she and the rest of the X-Men battle Apocalypse and get blown up. While the majority of the X-Men seem to be lost in space somewhere, dead or alive was unknown to them, a small handful had made it back to Earth. Those survivors, Rouge included, had been taken and transformed into the Horsemen of Apocalypse. They had defeated Apocalypse and survived the Demon Storm, but Rouge had not been left unchanged.

She had been turned back to normal, but her hair was now all white and her powers had been whipped clean. All memories or powers from others were gone. She was truly normal again. She knew she still had her powers because she could feel them tingling, but she was afraid to use them for she wasn't sure how they had been affected. For now she would use her brains and be tough without using her powers. On top of all this, there had been other events of grand scale.

First, not only were the X-Men all still missing but the Xavier Institute along with several staff and students had been wiped out by a beam of fire. Emma and a few others had turned up alive but had left as quickly to go in search of the X-Men. But before she left, Emma set in motion the reconstruction of the school but had revealed two things to her. One was that she had to join the staff and take over her students while looking into some things for Emma. Rouge was not keen on following Emma's wishes but it was the second revelation that tugged at her.

Emma had revealed Xavier's secret. Not only did the original X-Men have siblings that had died in their first mission but Xavier had covered it up by erasing all memories of them. That bothered Rouge, but not as much as the second part of his secret. There was another group of students that had been gathered but then secretly reinserted into new lives by Moira's mutant power. It turned out that not only had Rouge lived another life and had a team of friends, but Mystique and Destiny had truly been her parents. It was a lot for her to deal with but she hoped she would be able to dedicate and focus on this new team of students.

She knew the team was adjusting to the loss of Hellion and having to take orders from Dust, but she hoped that they would soon accept and get used to their new squad member, a blond haired boy by the name of Skywalker. He had the ability to fly and the potential to levitate others with the right training. With the loss of Julian, she thought that adding another flier to the team would be beneficial as well as his good nature attitude. Unfortunately, the Hellions saw him as a cheap knock off replacement of Julian. Rouge just knew in time they would be a great benefit to each other, and with that thought she got up to go spend some more time with her charges.

_**The Exemplars**_

Amara wiped her tears before heading into her training session with her squad. She had been trusted with the Beast's squad because he thought she was special just like his students. Even though this squad was slightly younger than the other's they had proven special enough to be formed into a squad. They were young, innocent and had the potential for greatness and three of them had been killed. She had failed her squad once but never again. This time she would do right by her squad and train them to be X-Men and not play nice like the Beast handled them. They needed to be taught to defend themselves and to be a formidable force and team.

She had Joey and Gailyn Bailey whose aunt had been Jean Grey and Melody Guthrie, Sam's younger sister. That left three spots to fill on her team. One member she had chose was a young mutant that looked like an elephant. His name was Reuben but went by the codename Tantra. He also had the ability to make anyone like anything. It appeared that his father, Mammomax had dropped him off here before running off to join the Brotherhood. Despite his father's actions, Tantra saw him as a hero and that he would return someday. Now for her second spot they had made an exception.

She had taken in the twins, Lewis and Lea Guthrie and counted them as one instead of two students. They did this because their powers only worked if they were together and touching. It appeared that when they clasped hands they fired off a powerful energy blast. Sam knew it was time to start training the, since they were almost eleven and Amara knew her squad was the perfect place for them. They were excited and decided to call themselves Power². She knew they would be a handful but she enjoyed the challenge.

Now with a team like this she needed someone special to be squad leader and this person had to be older and willing to train this kids to be the best. The other staff members agreed and Rictor was nice enough to allow Armor to leave his squad and join hers as the squad leader of her students. Armor loved this idea and welcomed the chance to prove herself as a leader and mentor to a group of younger students. Thanks to Armor's help, they had done well in helping the three original members cope with the loss of their three friends and find the courage to pick up the pieces and push forward.

"Great work, team," Amara said as she stepped into the room where Armor had already gotten her squad started and smiled.

_**The Paragons**_

Rahne watched her team train as she tried to keep her anger in check. She had nominated Match and Trance to both graduate and they had been passed up. It had been agreed that they were not truly mature or experienced enough to move up to that level yet. She couldn't believe that they felt that way when she had one of the best squads at the school. If they just looked at her team they could see the power that they weld.

Match, who was the herald of fire, Trance who could cause damage with her astral form, Wolf Cub who was a fierce as she was, Pixie who could make other hallucinate, D.J. had powerful energy manipulation abilities and Preview who could see the future. No one and no villain stood a chance against this group. They were a force to be reckoned with. Rahne knew it and could feel it in her bones as she looked down upon her team to see them all lying on the ground on top of each other in confusion.

"No, no, no!" Wolfsbane growled as she changed form and dashed into the room to whip her team into shape.

_**The Excelsiors**_

Rictor and his team had just finished up their training session as they headed back to their assigned rooms. Rictor was real proud with how his team was coming along. He was worried that the team might take losing their newest member hard but they seemed okay with it. Especially since Armor's replacement seemed to be just a powerful and seemed to really get along with his group. Rictor almost felt that the new guy was a much better fit than Armor was.

His newest member was Jorge Lucas or Fore Arm. He had the ability to grow two extra arms. When he did this it triggered a secondary mutation. One set of arms became very strong while the other set of arms could generate weapons made of energy. He was very tough and dedicated and made a great addition to the team. He was also personable and caused all the others to look up to him and work just as hard. Finally Rictor felt like his team has come together and that things would start looking up for all of them.

"Just think, soon we'll all be moving back home," Species said as they smiled in agreement.

_**Generation Next**_

Siryn and Mona looked at their newly formed team. Synch, their field leader, Jubilee, Chamber, Husk and M made up the core of the team. From the ranks of the lower squads they had received three additional members. Siryn had been nervous about this and wondered if they would truly be ready for this, especially since most of her team were experienced and had more training. Once she received her three new members and watched them in action she new without a doubt that they were just what this team needed. She just hoped that she could work out a few of the small kinks.

The first new member was Network. Her ability to control and command all machines would come in very handy in missions. She just had to help her get over her shyness and desire not to be in large crowds. The second one to join was X-23, the clone of Wolverine. That alone made her the biggest plus and minus on the team. She just hoped that she would be more in control than Logan had ever been. The last member was Hellion. He had developed great control over his telekinesis but his attitude and inability to take orders caused lots of friction. Even if the personalities may conflict, they still worked well as a team and had started to come along great. Now it was time for them to prove it.

"I know you all have been training together for only a week but a mission has come up that we must send you on right away. It will be dangerous and very important," Siryn said as her team looked up at her.

"What's going on?" Synch asked.

"Before Cable and his team left, he received a strange mental cry from Callisto and had Blaquesmith look into it. It seems that something is going on in the sewers of New York and there has been no response from Callisto or the mutants known as the Morlocks that live down there," Mona said.

"Cable would have sent his team but they had received a tip on Shadow Nova and said this would be perfect for your first mission. So we are sending you guys down there to find Callisto and the Morlocks and find out what's going on," Siryn said.

"Alright, time to go get some action," Hellion cheered.

"This is not a game. Lives could be at stake," Synch said glaring at the newest recruit.

"Everett is right. You need to take this serious, follow his orders and work as a team," Siryn said.

"Here, put these on and head out," Mona said pointing towards a rack of pure black uniforms with face masks that you could see red lenses in the eyes pieces.

Network swallowed hard and slowly followed the rest of her teammates as they suited up and got ready to head out.

**Next: Issue #20 – Rebuilding - Part Four or Moving Back In**

**Here is a preview of a mini-series coming soon that will introduce a deadly new villain with shocking ties to the X-Men Universe. **

_**Florida – Miami Hospital**_

"I'll be right back," a beautiful nurse with blond hair says as she steps away from her patient and looks out the exam room's door and into the hallway.

She looks back and forth and sees patients, families and hospital staff running like crazy screaming in a panic. She can hear load sounds coming from all around. She quickly runs into the hall and stops a RN in a dead run. "What's going on?"

"Evil mutants are attacking the hospital," the RN shouts as he dashes off in a dead run.

The nurse watches him run off and turns round when she hears a load crushing noise. Soon the wall a few feet down the hall explodes and two figures step through. A few seconds later a figure dressed in red and purple with a matching helmet and cape floats through and rotates facing her. The nurse takes a few steps back as she gasps at who is before her.

"Magneto?" The nurse begins to ask and then realizes that the figure before her is not of a man but of a woman.

"Pyra, Super Sabra, secure the area while I deal with her," the floating woman commands as the other two figures dash off in the other direction.

"What are you suppose to be, Magneta the wanna-be Magneto knock-off?" The nurse laughs as she goes to call on her powers.

"No, I'm someone more deadly than he could ever be," the woman laughed as she hovered closer to the nurse.

"What, why won't my powers work?" The nurse panicked.

"Oh, you can thank my new best friend, Blindspot. While you were examining her she used her memory manipulation powers on you and made you forget how to use your powers," the floating woman laughed as the patient the nurse had just been with walked out into the hallway smiling.

"What do you want from me?" The nurse asked as she tried looking for an escape route.

"Well, my dear Amelia Voght, you were one of Erik's most trusted followers and one time lover and I'm in need of some information," the woman said lowering herself to the ground.

"Over my dead body," Amelia said as she turned and ran.

"That can be arraigned," the woman in the red and purple helmet said as she flicked her wrists causing two hospital beds to fly through the air and pin Amelia to the wall. Amelia screamed as the woman levitated and floated right at her.

_**To be continued in…The New Brotherhood: Blood Ties**_


	21. Rebuilding Part Four

Mutant Generation Force

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #20 – Rebuilding - Part Four or Moving Back In**

_**The New Xavier Institute**_

"This looks great. You would have never guessed it had been destroyed or anything had happened here," Sam said as he looked at the others standing next to him.

Sam had received a call from Tessa, the X-Man known as Sage that the reconstruction of the mansion had been completed. With the help of Bishop, Sage had remained on site and worked closely with the computer and technology retrieval and setup. Having a majority of all the X-Men files in her brain she was able to help download everything they might have lost. Sam was very grateful, but having worked with her in the past he wasn't sure if he wanted her to remain working in the mansion. With her there was always another agenda, but he would have to worry about that later. He had other things to focus on.

"Yes, and thanks to Sage's help security has been upgraded. Nothing like this is ever going to happen again," Bishop said as he and Sage approached the group gathered on the front lawn.

"Let's hope not," Dani said looking around as the others nodded in agreement.

They had left the students back at Summersville and would bring them all back later. Sam, Dani and their staff wanted to check on things first. Make sure everything was ready and as back to normal as they could be before allowing everyone to officially move back in. Sam was scared but excited all the same. He hoped this new mansion meant a brand new start and that things would be better here on out. Sam smiled and exhaled as Dani stepped up to him and took his hand in hers and squeezed gently.

"You know, now that this is a new mansion, it totally seems like this is all ours now," Dani said softly.

"I know what you mean," Sam said squeezing her hand back.

"Sam, there are a few things I would like to discuss with you and Dani," Sage said giving him one of her looks.

"Okay everyone, let's do a once over before we bring the students back," Dani said.

"Rahne and Rictor go check out the Danger Room. Xi'an and Amara, if you would check on the clinic and infirmary," Sam said as the staff began to head into the mansion.

"If it's alright with you, Sam, I would like to transfer Banshee into the infirmary with Magik until he recuperates and can use his legs and arms again," Sage said.

"Yes, I wouldn't want him anywhere else," Sam said feeling bad about the senior X-Man who had both legs and arms crushed in battle.

"Lucinda, come help me make sure they got the Kitchen stocked properly," Luna said as she led Sam's mom into the mansion.

"Come on, Roberto, let's check out the rest of the place," Rouge said as she tugged on his arm and he followed.

"He's still bitter about not getting Emma's squad," Sam said as he watched the two head into the mansion followed by Skids, Flashfire and Bishop.

"You know we made the right decision," Dani said.

"I agree, Roberto needs to honor his commitment to his squad and the Hellions are better off with someone like Rouge," Sage said bluntly.

"I know. It just, you know how Roberto can get on my nerves," Sam said as the three of them were now the only ones left standing on the front lawn.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" Dani asked looking at the mutant with a computer brain.

"With the restoration of the Institute's computer systems I stumbled upon some disturbing things," Sage said.

"What is it?" Dani asked.

"Please don't tell me Xavier has more surprises," Sam said.

"Well, most have to do with Xavier. Now mind you a lot was destroyed with the mansion. These were just the files I came across that I was actually able to retrieve and open or get some kind of information from," Sage said.

A part of Sage felt like she was betraying Charles by giving this information to Sam and Dani. With Xavier and the others still missing and possibly dead, all this could go to the grave with them. She felt like she owed Charles after they had formed a bond helping each other, even though he had used her to infiltrate and spy on the Hellfire Club. Most of what she found she already knew or could care less about, but she had found links to her name in some of these files. Most were gone and irretrievable but there were a couple that she found but couldn't open. These were the ones she wanted to see.

With discovering Xavier's secret about the true second wave of X-Men and Moira and Mona's secret group of mutants, she had never truly questioned or realized how much Xavier was doing in secret until now. Now with her name connected she had to find out what Xavier had on her or was hiding from her. She also felt like Sam had the right to know if he was now to fill Xavier and Summers' shoes. Also, by her giving Sam and Dani everything she found, it would make them trust her and allow her to remain here and continue working through the system without being questioned. It would keep them busy while making her team's agenda easier to accomplish.

"First, let me give you this," Sage said handing a flash drive to Sam and one to Dani.

"What are these?" Dani asked.

"One will connect you into the system and give you access to see what I've found while the other gives you the password to access it all," Sage said as Sam glanced at Dani wondering just what they were about to get themselves into.

"I'm almost wondering if it isn't better off not knowing," Dani said glancing from Sam to Sage.

"I think if you are to continue on with this school's legacy, you might want to know what comes with it. What you do with this information is up to you, but some of this I really think you will be both glad that you had and wished you hadn't," Sage said looking at the two.

"I hate to say, after finding out about Xavier's Secret, I need to know this," Sam said as Dani nodded nervously.

"Of course you will have all your normal access to regular files and databases here. What I wasn't able to retrieve I was able to reenter from my own database," Sage said tapping her brain.

"Then what is so urgent if everything is what he had access to before?" Dani asked.

"I found files that were never meant for anyone's eyes and hidden well and just happened to surface only because of the Demon Storm and my restoration. Almost all of them were destroyed in the beam of fire or so badly damaged that there was nothing to access or view. I did find twelve files and even though a few of them I'm not able to access I believe there is still something there and important to keep," Sage said as Sam swallowed hard.

"Lay it on us," Dani said.

"I won't go into details out here. I will do a brief run down and you two can view these later. Any questions you can ask me or just prompt "Ask Tess" and it will give what assistance that I can or know," Sage said.

"Go ahead. It probably isn't wise to go into big details out here in the open," Sam said.

"First file is the Xavier Protocols. This is what most X-Men discovered not long ago. It's a list of almost all mutants and how to take them down or kill them. What most don't know is that Xavier has tied this database into the Danger Room. Meaning, while the Danger Room trains you or you are out on missions, it is also finding your potential and keeping tabs and records on your progress and how to counter any new developments in your powers or new abilities," Sage said.

"Oh my, I had no idea. Sam did you? Is it still programmed that way?" Dani said looking back and forth at the two mutants suddenly feeling violated.

"I had an idea that the X-Men found the Protocols, but I didn't know the extent of it," Sam said.

"Yes, the program was still running up till the Demon Storm. It appears Scott and or Emma kept it active. All of your students and staff are in it. The link and program ended with the beam of fire. I have not reactivated it. I will leave that up to you two," Sage said looking from Sam to Dani.

"Wow, to think Scott would allow it to continue on makes me wonder if maybe it's one of those necessary wrongs," Dani said softly to Sam.

"What ever you decide, be careful. If knowledge of this gets out or falls in the wrong hands, which it has before, could mean grave danger to this school and all mutants," Sage said as Sam agreed.

"I see we are going to have our work cut out for us," Dani said.

"Yes, but we better keep this brief for now. We have to get ready to transport the students back soon," Sam said as he nodded for Sage to continue.

"The second file contains the information you all have learned about in regards to the formation of the X-Men and the team thought dead and the team Sam was a part of that was reinserted back into new lives," Sage said.

"Is there any new info in those files?" Sam asked wondering if the revelation of who his real parents were might be found.

"I'm afraid that there is nothing new to add. There were links to several files that are destroyed and lost, but there were a few links to the files I can't access which I will get to here shortly," Sage said.

"Sorry, go ahead," Sam said.

"There is a file called the Illuminati. It's very vague but contained a list of names you might or might not find interesting. There were no links but I found a trace of protective encryption that might be magic based. I didn't want to mess with that.

"The next file contained sub files of mutants being held captive in a secret level in the basement. I don't know who was all down there because a majority of the files were damaged. On the disc lists those I was able to retrieve," Sage said.

"There were mutants being held prisoner below us and we never knew it?" Dani gasped at Sam.

"I can't believe Xavier would do that and who was caring for them in his absence," Sam said suddenly feeling appalled at the thought of lives suffering or starving in his home and not knowing it.

"Before you go scolding, Xavier and a lot of the X-Men including Scott, Beast and Emma were aware of this and continued its use," Sage said.

"What are you talking about?" Sam and Dani both demanded.

"You'll read everything in the files, but Scott, Emma and Beast were involved with holding the Omega Gang after the school riots," Sage said.

"Wait a minute. I don't know what happened to Quentin, but the other members of the Omega Gang were all placed in jail," Dani said.

"Like I said, read the files, but in the end all those being held there were all killed in the beam of fire," Sage said.

"This is just awful," Dani cried.

"We'll have to review that file," Sam said as his stomach turned. Was that what happened to the leaders of the Institute? To make questionable decisions? Is this what he and Dani would be faced with? Not if he could help it. They would do right by the dream from this point on.

"There was another file labeled Xavier's Underground and later subtitled by Scott as X-Strike. It seemed Xavier had a list of mutant agents, which one includes Mystique, that he sent out in espionage or covert missions that no one was to know about to benefit mutant kind. As you know, I was one of them infiltrating the Hellfire Club. It appears Scott was thinking of continuing on with this idea and coming up with a team called X-Strike. You can read more about it in the files but it is clear that this will all lead to Bishop's future X.U.E and X.S.E," Sage said.

"It makes me wonder how much we didn't know about this man we all called mentor and worshiped," Dani whispered.

"Now, the next file I want you all to read with a grain of salt. There was a file called Sanctioned Underground Units. It was like Xavier's Underground but different. It appears that Xavier actually funded various organizations and teams over the years. It was a way to keep track of their dealing if he couldn't completely control them. The reason I say to take caution is it seems Xavier had a hand in Cable taking over your team and making it X-Force," Sage said.

"What!" Sam yelled getting angry.

"Calm down, Sam. You will have to read the file but we can't determine how much Cable allowed and how much was forced by Xavier that he isn't aware of," Sage said.

"Sam, let Sage finish and we can review all this and sort it out later," Dani said as Sam tried to control his ever changing feelings toward Cable.

"There is another file labeled Rise of the Phoenix. It contains notes on Jean and the Phoenix Force, but the main substance of it appears that Scott was trying to find away to bring Jean back and it might be that her body may not even be buried here. I have also added some things that I've found out to this file that leads me to believe that the Phoenix Force is back and among us. It is safe for now, but I think this is one to read as soon as you can.

"There is another file I found called Project Hellfire. It is completely destroyed but I kept it for you because it has three things. One, it was created by Emma Frost. Second, it shows communications from here to a source that can't be traced but I'm ninety-nine percent sure I recognize the codes as being the Hellfire Club. Lastly, even though nothing can be read or retrieved from any of this, I was able to pull one sentence sent from here right before the X-Men disappeared and the Demon Storm hit," Sage said.

"What was it?" Sam asked.

"The pawn has been planted," Sage said.

"Which means?" Dani started.

"We may have another spy in our mists?" Sam finished.

"Yes, that is what I was thinking, if this person hasn't died in the beam of fire," Sage said.

"I always new Emma was never up to any good," Dani swore.

"We don't know that for sure. We can't jump the gun too soon, but we do need to wrap this up. I don't know how much more I can take today," Sam said.

"The last four files were the ones I told you about earlier. I believe they contain information but I am unable to open them. I tried to open them but there was some kind of protection around them that triggered when I tried to push to crack them. Thanks to my computer mind, I got out a millisecond before by brain was fried. Anyone else would be brain dead. One was labeled Lilandro," Sage began.

"Lilandro? That's the code Emma gave us to trigger emergency help with money or reconstruction of the mansion," Dani said looking at Sam.

"Well, that file, along with these other three seems to be linked together and I also sense a connection to Xavier's Secret we found out from Mona and the surviving siblings. One is called Genetics, the second is called Totems and the last one was Special Room," Sage finished.

"Special Room, I wonder what that is?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, like I said I almost died trying to break into these files, but before I backed out I got the feeling that if the fire didn't destroy it, that Charles' Special Room might be a secret room he had hidden somewhere on this property. Because of this I ask you this favor. Of course I will not reveal any of this to anyone, but I would like to stay here at the mansion and continue my efforts in trying to crack these files for you. I can also help Bishop with security and technology here at the mansion as well," Sage said.

"Yes, I think we can use your help, but you must keep me informed on everything and all your efforts and for now, I think this all stays between the three of us till we review it all and determine what is safe to tell the other staff," Sam said as Dani agreed.

"It's a lot to take in, but I think its time to get this school running again," Dani said as she could feel Sam's tension building right up there with hers.

_**Interlude**_

"So, they letting you stay here?" Rouge asked as she passed Sage in the hallway.

"Yes, and I've come across some information. Once I crack it and find the Special Room, then you will be able to do what Emma put here to do," Sage said as she handed a data chip smoothly into Rouge's hand.

"Do I really have to do this?" Rouge asked.

"Yes. I know you want to get to the bottom of what Charles had done to all of us as much as we do. Plus, your powers are the only ones that will gain access to the Special Room once it's found. I got to go, just remember your involvement is on the down low," Sage said as she walked away quickly and caught up with Bishop.

Rouge wasn't sure if she should be doing this, but Emma was right. They had to find the truth. Rouge pushed the thoughts from her mind as she almost got plowed over by a bunch of students. It made the school seem so alive to see all the students filling the halls again. She could tell that being back here was really helping the students to move on and forget what they had all just been through. Rouge took a deep breath as she followed the kids out into the courtyard to face the final piece of rebuilding and moving on, the memorial.

_**Xavier Institute – Courtyard**_

Sam and Dani stood at the podium facing out looking at the courtyard filled with students and staff. To be safe and with the X-Men gone they had chosen to keep this memorial strictly to the students and staff. He was happy and sad to see everyone here. Happy to see the school filled again and rebuilt but sad to have to once again put more students to rest and honor their memories. As he spoke to the students he glanced back at what was behind him.

Constructed behind him were memorial statues of every X-Man that had fallen. Amongst the statues were all the students and staff that had died during the Demon Storm. Those were the ones they were honoring today. They had also placed statues of the members of X-Calibur who had sacrificed their lives during Demon Storm. They weren't only mutants but many of them had been friends and family of those here at the Institute. Today they honored them too. There were others that needed to be honored by they did that in spirit and not in mentioning names.

They didn't have time to review the files Sage had given them. Their first priority was getting the current students moved in and the school setup and running back on track. They decided that if they reveled the names of those listed on the file like the Omega Gang there would be too many questions they were not ready to answer. So Sam and Dani decided they would read the files and find out whose names were listed and deal with it later. They had to get through the memorial then they could deal with the files and secrets that were handed down to them with the X-Men legacy.

Sam's thoughts moved back as Dani finished her sermon and moment of silence and prayer. Sam then retook the podium and gave his final thoughts and closing for the memorial. Letting the students know that they would never forget the ones they've lost and that today was not an ending but a beginning, a rebuilding. The school and their lives here would go on and he and the rest of the staff will watch over them and make sure they remained safe behind these school walls. They were the next generation of mutants and they would help secure that legacy. Sam stepped away from the podium as everyone felt sad at the loss but happy about the future. They had rebuilt once again and tomorrow would be a brand new day.

**Next: Issue #21 – Just another Day at the Mansion **


	22. Just another Day at the Mansion

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #21 – Just another Day at the Mansion**

_**The Xavier Institute**_

_**Headmaster's Office**_

"How are you doing, Sam?" Lucinda, the headmaster's mom asked as she stepped into his office.

"I'm doing fine mom," Sam said as he clicked off his monitor.

"What're looking at?" Lucinda asked as she sat on the corner of his desk, looking her son in the eyes.

"It's nothing, mom. Just going through a bunch of stuff for the Institute," Sam said as he tried a smile for his mom.

"Sam, what's troubling you?" Lucinda asked.

"It's nothing, really," Sam lied.

"Just because you're all grown and a big shot Headmaster doesn't mean I stop being your mom," Lucinda said with a smile.

"It's just," Sam began and then stopped.

"Just what, honey?" Lucinda asked.

"Ever find out that your heroes and people you looked up to the most were never who you thought they were?" Sam asked looking down.

"Sam, everyone is human. You can't blame someone for not living up to the pedestal you placed them on and they never asked to be on in the first place," Lucinda said as she touched her son's cheek.

"I know mom, but I just don't know where to go next or what I should do with all this," Sam said as he flicked the flash drive on his computer.

"All you can do is take what you know, learn from it, good or bad and build on it the best you can and make your own path for you and this school," Lucinda said as she moved his face up with her hand.

"Yeah, you're right," Sam sighed.

"And don't forget, you have Dani to help you along the way," Lucinda said with a smile.

"Yes, she's been great," Sam grinned from ear to ear.

"And she's good for you. I like her, Sam," Lucinda said as she got up from the desk.

"Mom," Sam began to say as he looked up at his mom in surprise.

"Please, boy, I'm your mother and I know and see all," Lucinda laughed as she glanced back at her son.

"Thanks, mom, I love you," Sam said feeling a sense of relief.

"I love you too, and I know you haven't wanted to talk about it but don't you ever forget that no matter what, I'll always be your mother and will love you unconditionally," Lucinda said as she blew her son a kiss and walked out the door.

"Wow, big smiles. Did I miss something?" Dani asked as she entered the room shortly after Lucinda had left.

"Nothing, just that I'm really glad you're here," Sam said taking her in his arms and kissing her.

"Wow, what did your mother say to you?" Dani giggled as she pulled back playfully.

"Nothing that I didn't already know. So, what brings you my way?" Sam asked.

"Well, I hate to be a mood killer but, have you looked at the files yet?" Dani asked.

"Well, the four that are locked we'll have to work on later and the fifth that is sealed by magic we can call in favors from Strange or someone," Sam said as he activated his monitor.

"What about the other files?" Dani asked pulling up a chair next to Sam's.

"I haven't had a lot of time to go through them all and most of them I wanted to wait to do it with you. The only ones I've gone through are the Xavier Protocols and X-Men Geneses," Sam said as he started typing on the keyboard.

"Did you find anything new?" Dani asked.

"No, just what we've already learned from Mona and her disc. I did try and link the two with the new system and I think I might have stumbled upon some additional footage or information. Once the system is done cross checking and running I'll see if I found anything. It still gets to me what Xavier and Moira kept from all of us," Sam said.

"I know, Sam. When we get a chance, we need to think about what to do with that information. I know you want to search out your parents and Amara has already talked about pulling in Sunpyre and searching for Daken," Dani said.

"Yes, I know and once I'm running this program we can do that. We also need to discuss the Protocols. After looking at this my gut tells me to destroy it all," Sam said.

"But it's too valuable to pass up and you see why Scott kept it," Dani finished Sam's thoughts.

"Yes, and I can't help but think that might make me as bad as them," Sam said.

"Why not use it as a tool with the Danger Room to not learn how to take us down but how to also better ourselves and find ways to counter the counter protocols?" Dani smiled.

"I was almost thinking the same thing," Sam said with a slight smile.

"What about the one file?" Dani asked as her tone changed.

"Yes, the list of subbasement prisoners that died in the Beam of Fire. I would lie if I said I didn't wait on that one for you too but I just got done looking it over," Sam said pulling up the file.

"It's okay. It's time to know," Dani said as she read the list.

"The Omega Gang was all down there. It appears that Xavier made it seem like they were still in jail as he brought them back her to try and make them fit back into the fold. Kid Omega was already here and Beast was working on him with Xavier to rehabilitate him," Sam said as Dani read the student's names; Quintin Quire, Glob Herman, Redneck, Radian and Tattoo.

"That's terrible and it seems they had Ernst and No-Girl down there too checking for any signs of Cassandra Nova," Dani said as she tried to hold back her tears.

"That's not all. It seems that the original Horsemen War and Famine, Abraham and Autumn didn't disappear. Xavier was holding them here trying to find out Apocalypse's secrets. Also, it appears Cable accidently brain friend two mutants named Reaper and Wildside and kept them here to cover it up till they found a solution," Sam said glancing at Dani.

"This is horrible. It seems Emma Frost had placed Monet's brother Emplate down here after he had been defeated for the sole purpose to unlock the secret between the St. Croix siblings merging," Dani gasped.

"It sounds inhumane but, what do we do when we bring down one of the major bad guys or mutants not safe to let into regular custody?" Sam asked as he and Dani imagined the weight Scott and the others must have had to face.

"Boy, it always seemed so cut and dry without worrying about the long term when you're young and free huh?" Dani sighed.

"I know, I just hope we can make the right decisions," Sam said looking up at Dani.

"Whether they are right or wrong, we'll make them together," Dani said taking his hand and squeezing it tight.

"You got that. The only other names on the list are names of mutants I don't recognize and it seems they kept their own Sentinels and a Nimrod unit down there for study, including Bastion," Sam said as Dani's eyes went wide.

"To keep something like that right under the feet of young students? What were they thinking?" Dani asked growing angry.

"Well, thanks to the Beam some things got destroyed that needed to be. How about we call it a day and worry about the rest of the files another day. I'm feeling like a movie," Sam said with a smile.

"You've read my mind, Mr. Guthrie," Dani said calming down at the look in Sam's eyes and followed him out the door.

_**Game Room**_

"Hey you two," Paras, the mutant named Indra asked as he walked up to two of his squad members playing air hockey.

"Hi, Paras. Thought I'd try and teach Nezhno here how to play but he's a fast learner," Alani, the mutant known as Loa said as she blocked another shot from Gentle.

"I see that," Paras chuckled lightly.

"She is no match for me," Gentle said as he scored another point.

"Oh, want to go again?" Loa asked with a smile.

"Maybe later, I'll let you talk with your friend here and go get some food," Gentle said as he nodded as Indra and left.

"So?" Indra asked.

"What? We're just friends. I mean, before joining our squad we never even looked at each other," Loa said blushing a little.

"Yeah, whatever, I saw you two playing there," Indra said teasing.

"Oh and what about you? I thought you were going to finally ask Vic out?" Loa asked changing the subject.

"I was, but he wasn't in his room. I was told that he went with Dallas and a few others to go swimming in the pool," Indra sighed.

"Why don't you go too? It's a free country. GO jump in the pool and ask him out," Loa said.

"Yeah, not that easy. I just have to face it. He wants Dallas and we'll only ever be friends," Indra said as Loa put her arm around him.

"Don't worry, that boy will come around and see you two are meant for each other," Loa smiled.

"Like you and Gentle?" Indra said ducking a playful punch from Loa.

"How about a game of Air Hockey?" Loa asked as Indra smiled a little and took his end of the table.

_**Danger Room**_

"Okay, keep alive in there. If we want to be the best and I'm tired of losing students," Roberto screamed over the intercom at his squad below.

Giantess, Sam's sister Elizabeth growled under her breath. She wanted nothing more than to lead a successful squad and become a leader like her older brother, but it was hard to do when team members keep getting killed. She knew it wasn't her fault but it still made her feel like she had failed them and this squad. It wasn't easy, especially when the squad's moral was low from everyone calling it the death squad. She wanted to change all that and prove this squad could be the best. She was here to guide them despite what Roberto thought. She was a leader not a spy.

"Head in the game, Giantess! Or do you want to lose another team member?" Robert shouted.

"Just ignore him. He's just being who he is. Plus, he is the seasoned pro that is leading a squad to their deaths. That's a lot to deal with," Freakshow said as he became a large monster and threw a robot to the side.

"Don't worry, I do," Giantess said as she grew larger and surveyed the field while stomping on robots and barked orders at her squad.

While Freakshow tore through the robots she had Onyxx watching his back using his strength to trade blows with them. She glanced at Wicked and had her ghost warriors distracting the robots and Gloom releasing darkness into the robot's vision blinding them while Eosimias flew through the air tearing them with his claws. It was proving effective, but she knew she would have to come up with better battle plans and ways to better use their powers. They had an odd group of powers but they had the potential to be a lethal force if pushed.

"Wicked, watch out!" Elizabeth shouted as she ran into the path of Gloom's darkness.

Blinded and distracted the ghosts dissipated. As Gloom tried to get to his feet, two robots teamed up and took him and Wicked out. At the sight of their death Eosimias lost concentration and was blasted across the room by another robot. As Onyxx began to panic at the sight of his team dying, again, he started to freak out. Elizabeth was about to shout orders to him and Freakshow when the battle vanished and the room became empty except for six students, alive but bruised.

"That's' enough for today. We'll practice again tomorrow and next time, Giantess, try not to let anyone else die," Roberto glared down at Elizabeth, Gloom and Wicked.

"I'm sorry," Onyxx said as Elizabeth shrunk down to normal and put her arm around him.

"It's okay. We'll do better next time," Giantess said knowing full well that if this had been for real, there wouldn't have been a next time for a few of them.

_**Epilogue**_

Siryn watched the monitors as her team moved thought the tunnels. It was hard to get a visual in the dark tunnels through their night vision lenses in their masks. They had been given word that something was going on in the tunnels with the Morlocks and all communication with Callisto had been lost. So, for their first mission, they had sent Generation Next down into the tunnels to investigate. It didn't seem like it would be a major situation and nothing this team couldn't handle. Especially since all of them have faced battle in one form or another.

They hadn't discovered anything but traces of blood and battle where they believe Callisto was last heard from. X-23 had recognized the smell of Callisto. She said there were a few other scents too along with death. This had bothered Theresa but she knew they had to keep going and she instructed them to proceed with caution. It had been a while and they had found nothing but empty tunnels and sewage. Siryn yawned and got up and ran over to the coffee pot to pour another cup of Joe.

As she poured the coffee she heard shouting. She ran back to the computer monitor and saw the visual was out. All she had was static. The screaming stopped and she tried the mic and realized that all communication had been knocked out. She began hitting buttons as she shouted.

"GN do you copy? Synch anyone?" Siryn asked in fear.

"Theresa, I can't believe it…..bodies everywhere….came out of nowhere…..was hit first….not sure if they're alive…..we need backup…" a voice Teresa couldn't make out said through loud crackling noise and then went dead. All contact had officially been cut.

Mona came rushing into the room as Theresa sounded the alarm. "Theresa, what's going on?"

"We have to get Sam and the others. Something's happened in the Morlock Tunnels. We've lost Generation Next," Theresa cried as Mona gulped hard.

**Next: Issue #22 – Morlock Massacre II – Part One **

_**Authors Note: The New Brotherhood: Blood Ties #1 is now posted. **_


	23. Morlock Massacre II Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #22 – Morlock Massacre II – Part One **

_**Morlock Tunnels - Now**_

"That's it, I've lost all contact. I can't get the communicator back up," Sarah Vale, the mutant known as Network said as she tried to calm her breathing.

"We need to keep moving. They'll be upon us in no time," the Morlock known as Bliss said looking over her shoulder.

"I need to rest. I've spent my self in getting us away and this far," a grotesque looking being called Mole said in a soft whisper.

"She's right, we need to keep moving or were as good as dead," Julian Keller the mutant known as Hellion said as he held his side.

"Julian, you're as good as dead if we don't rest," Sarah said as she looked at the large wound in Julian's side.

"I'm fine, barely bleeding anymore," Julian said wincing in pain.

"You think the others are dead?" Network asked as she tore off the rest of the sleeve from her arm and used it to help bandage Hellion's wound.

"More than likely and so would you two if it weren't for me and Mole here," Bliss said looking at them.

"You don't have to be so cruel," Julian said glaring at the rude but pretty woman.

"Hey, I'm being realistic. I saw that thing kill many of my friends and fellow Morlocks. You're lucky your wound didn't come from its claws like mine did. As soon as it healed my powers vanished. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being pretty again but now I'm powerless," Bliss said as she began to pace touching her arm where her wound once was.

"What was that thing?" Network asked as Mole began to get nervous.

"We thought it was Sinister returning to finish what he had once started, but soon realized it was something far worse wearing that villain's costume," Mole whispered quickly.

"But that wasn't Sinister," Network said remembering the files she had read on the Morlocks.

Years ago, one of the X-Men's greatest enemies, Sinister, had sent a group of Marauders down into the tunnels to kill everything every Morlock in sight. It had been dubbed the Mutant Massacre. The X-Men and many others had fought and stopped them but the death toll had been high. Then a few years after that, Sabretooth had gone back to finish the job. Even thought he was stopped more had paid the price. Now a few fractions of the Morlocks still survived and scattered beneath the tunnels in hiding. It was always noted, but what bothered Sarah was why the X-men had never truly helped the Morlocks and brought them safely into their home.

"From what I can tell his scratch does one of four things. It takes away your powers, like it did to me, triggers a secondary mutation or causes your current mutant powers to overpower. If the latter happens, I've seen some live and have to deal with the power flux to great to barely handle and others just burned out and died from their own abilities," Bliss said looking at the two members of Generation Next.

"He calls himself the Modifier and the reason he wears the suit is not to honor but mock the fact he killed Sinister himself," Mole said as he felt the ground shake a little and began to glance all around.

"We need to get moving," Bliss said as Mole nodded at her.

"I feel bad leaving the others behind," Network said as she got to her feet, as the tremors began to escalate.

"We had no choice. We had to take the opportunity to get back and get help," Julian said as he began to think back at what had happened so fast.

"Too bad you'll never make it," a voice shouted as the ground exploded as Modifier and dozens of his mutant minions rose out of the ground ready to pounce on the four escapees.

_**Morlock Tunnels - Earlier**_

"Be careful and don't do anything stupid. The main objective is to search and report. All we know is contact with Callisto is gone and hint that the Morlocks are in danger," Theresa, the mutant and Generation Next leader named Siryn said over the com unit.

"Don't worry, we'll take it slow and report back soon. Synch out," Everett Thomas said as he switched off the com unit in his head piece.

Synch looked around at his team. It was hard to believe that not only was he alive but now a leader of his own X-Team. He was even digging the sweet black matching uniforms they all wore. Most of the members of his team were his old friends from Generation-X. There was Jubilee, now calling herself Firecracker, Chamber who had survived his time in Neverland and had his face repaired, Husk who was one of Sam's younger sisters and M who was one of four St. Croix sisters. There were two missing, Skin and Penance. The later was back at the mansion while the former had not survived as he had. He wished they were here but instead he had three others placed on his squad.

All three of them had been on student squads back at the school and had been selected to graduate and be placed on this team. The girl named Network seemed timed and not very aggressive, but her powers to command machines were definitely a big asset. The other girl, the Wolverine clone called X-23 was very aggressive and deadly. It not only made him glad she was on his team but nervous as well. Just knowing where she came from and her origins made her as much a loose cannon as old Logan was. The last member of his team was from Emma Frost's old squad. His name was Hellion and Synch wasn't sure if he liked him yet.

"I smell blood up ahead," X-23 called out bringing Synch's attention back.

"The infrared scanner in my goggles is picking up two bodies," Network said.

"Heat signature is coming from only one, which means one of them is definitely dead," M said flatly.

"Not sure what were coming across, but I'm only feeling mutant powers from one of them. The other is a norm," Synch said as they moved carefully onward with him and X-23 taking point.

After a few minutes they came across a more open area where it was obvious from the blood and fallen ceiling that a battle had taken place here. X-23 dug through the rubble and pulled out a furry animal-like body. Not far from them Chamber found the body of a woman with her gut ripped completely open. She was obviously dead, but X-23 was picking up vital signs from the girl she had pulled out of the debris. Synch looked over the two bodies as Network did a quick scan.

"Her life signs are faint but she has several minor broken bones. Bio-scan identifies her as Maria Callasantos aka Feral, former member of the Morlocks, New Mutants, X-Force, Mutant Liberation Front, New Hellions and X-Corp. Her healing factor is what has kept her alive," Network said.

"Thanks Network, but for future reference we don't need the whole life story," M said as she and Firecracker tended to Feral.

"M, be nice. What about the other?" Synch asked as it was obvious she was dead.

"Bio-scan says she's Feral's sister Thornn, but there is no trace of mutant DNA. She has been stripped of her powers and reads as a being normal. Somehow or someone has stripped her of her mutant gift," Network said.

"I feared as much," Synch said as his powers had confirmed no trace of power in the woman.

"What do you think happened here?" Firecracker asked.

"Callisto was here and went off in this direction with one other. There is another that was here with an odd scent and familiar scent at the same time that went off in this other direction where even more death resides," X-23 said as she sniffed the area.

"Which way do we go?" Husk asked stepping next to Synch.

"I'm sure Callisto can handle herself. I think we should head this way and see what happened," Synch said.

"Do we need to report into Siryn?" Hellion asked as he glanced at Network.

"I've already sent a report so far. She says to go a head and scout ahead and then report back," Network said.

"What about Feral?" Chamber asked.

"I'll be fine. I want revenge on that murderer," Feral said as she opened her eyes and got to her feet and moved over to her sister's cold body.

"Wish I had a healing factor," Firecracker said as she eyed Feral.

"We must move on," M said looking at Synch.

"Monet," Synch began to say as Feral looked up at them.

"She's right. I will come back for me sister after I've avenged her," Feral said as she placed her sister down and headed off in the direction of the Modifier.

Generation Next moved after Feral trying to keep her from getting to far ahead. Synch wasn't sure what they were up against and he didn't want them to go rushing into a death trap. After a few minutes Feral and X-23 stopped as the others came up behind them. Right in front of them was a large room under the sewers where it was obvious many of the Morlocks had made their home. Synch was hoping to find it empty, but to his fear and X-23's warning of death they found a slaughter house. Network gasped at the sight of blood and bodies everywhere.

"So many dead," Husk whispered at the sight.

"We're not alone," X-23 began to say when something flew out of a hole in the wall and hit her hard.

Synch whipped his head around as he saw X-23 go flying across the room and slam into the opposite wall. She wasn't moving and he was hoping that her healing factor would be enough to keep her in the game. He reached out with his powers and tried to get a read on the powers of their new comer. Just as he was about to synch in with the attacker, he felt his throat rip apart and his body tossed aside. He heard Firecracker scream as he began to feel his body convulse and then he blacked out.

"Synch and X-23 are down," M said as she began to take command.

"You!" Feral shouted as she dove for the man who had just taken out two of them in less than a second.

"I see you survived. I should have killed you but then look at the prizes you brought back to me," Modifier laughed as he moved with great speed grabbing Feral and slamming her into the ground, breaking her legs.

"I'll kill you," Feral spat in pain as she tried to move.

"Well, let's let fate decide," Modifier said as he extended his claws and sliced her across the face.

"Take him," Chamber said as he concentrated his powers and sent a blast of energy from his eyes and mouth.

The blast hit a tek shield that had popped up around the Modifier. He then smiled as he ran at Chamber with great speed. Hellion took flight and called on his powers causing Modifier to lift into the air and fly back across the room. Modifier screamed in anger and got back on his feet with great speed. He stood there watching as he faced Generation Next.

"You think you can beat me," Modifier laughed as he waved his arm and dozens of mutated looking creatures, very large and muscular came piling out of the tunnels surrounding them and advancing on them.

"There's way too many of them. We need to get out of here and go for back up," Hellion said as he stood next to Network trying to hold back as many of the creatures with his powers.

"Where are the others?" Network asked trying not to cry.

"I've lost track of them. There's too many of them," Hellion said as he thought he heard a female voice scream in terror.

"I'll try and reach Siryn," Network said as she began sending a message to Siryn.

"There's no way out," Hellion said as he glanced around looking for an exit.

"We can help," a voice whispered.

Hellion looked over and saw a woman and a strange looking creature stuck under a pile of rubble. He assumed they had to be Morlocks. Trying to concentrate he levitated the debris off of them. The woman got to her knees as she started tapping the creature to get it to wake up.

"Who are you?" Hellion asked pushing his powers to keep the mutant creatures back.

"I'm Bliss and this is Mole. He as the ability to take us out of her safely," Bliss said as Mole began to come around.

"We need backup," Network was trying to say as her communicator seemed to be giving out.

"Get us out of here now," Hellion said as he saw Modifier coming at them with great speed.

Suddenly the world around them began to shift as Bliss instructed him to put a field around them and Mole went to work. Network realized that it was the combination of Mole's powers and Hellions that was causing her com unit to short out. In a matter of moments the four were shifted right into the ground and out of sight just as Modifier arrived. They had escaped the fate destined for them by the Modifier.

_**Morlock Tunnels – Now**_

"Looks like we didn't get far," Hellion swore as he pushed with his powers to keep the creatures back.

"Give up now. There's no way you're going to survive this," Modifier laughed.

"You have to get us out of here," Network pleaded to the Morlock named Mole.

"I'll try, but I'm so exhausted," Mole said wheezing.

"Try harder," Hellion shouted as he threw one creature after another away from them.

"Too late," Modifier laughed as he suddenly was right next to Hellion.

Before Hellion could react, Modifier had his right hand squeezing around Hellion's neck while his left hand grabbed Bliss by her neck. He began to squeeze tight while the air began to fade from their lungs. "Now you die."

"Not on my watch," Siryn shouted as her vocal powers slammed into Modifier carrying him away down the tunnel causing him to drop Hellion and Bliss.

"Don't worry, we've got you," Cannonball said as he helped Hellion to his feet.

"About time you got here," Hellion coughed as he looked to see their new found help. Siryn, Cannonball, Sunspot, Wolfsbane, Magma, Rictor, Flashfire, Skids, Bishop and Hub had come to their rescue.

"The children of the atom's children have come to play. This is going to be so much fun," Modifier said as he came running back down the tunnel giving the command for his mutated forces to attack as the Mutants prepared for battle.

**Next: Issue #23 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Two**


	24. Morlock Massacre II Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #23 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Two **

_**Morlock Tunnels **_

"Where is the rest of Gen Next?" Siryn asked turning her last syllable into a high powered scream that sent mutated creatures flying backwards.

"Back in the Morlock's home. So many are dead by this monster," Network said as she used her powers to send recaps to their rescue party.

"I can't believe this is happening again," Skids said upon hearing the report on the Morlock Massacre.

"Siryn, take Hub, Rictor, Wolfsbane, Bishop, Skids and Flashfire and find, help and rescue Gen Next and as many Morlocks as you can," Cannonball commanded as he called on his powers and flew at Modifier at full force.

"Not sure Callisto and the others will go willingly," Skids said knowing too well the mindset of the mutants she had once lived among.

"I don't care if they want to or not, I want them all safely at the mansion. We will sort out details and arrangements later. I will not allow any more to die on my watch," Cannonball said as Hub called on her powers and teleported her team away.

"Whether you're watching or not, they're all ready dead," Modifier laughed as he called on his tek-shield and waited for the impact with a smile.

"Monster!" Cannonball screamed as the tunnels shook from the shear force of impact between Cannonball and Modifier.

"Sam?" Magma called out as the dust settled.

"I'm fine, not sure about the other guy," Sam said as he made his way out of the new path he had made when he bounced from his opponent and plowed through the side wall.

"I'm really going to enjoy watching you die," Modifier said as he dug his way out of the pile of rubble he had been sent beneath from the impact.

"Watch out for his claws," Network said as she sent a reminder bio on their opponent.

"He won't get close enough to use them," Magma said as the ground opened up and lava swallowed up the majority of the mutated creatures.

"Be careful, Amara. Don't want to bring the tunnels down on all of us," Sunspot said as he and Hellion did their part to pick off the remaining mutations.

"What is your motivation here besides badly impersonating one of the X-Men's greatest enemies?" Cannonball asked as he stood to face the man in the Sinister suit.

"No motivation but to kill you all. Xavier and his precious do-gooders turned their noses up at me and after Sinister got done experimenting on me I killed him just as I will all of you and Xavier's precious children," Modifier snarled.

"Your voice and features do look familiar," Cannonball said trying to place the face and then snapped his fingers. "Mimic."

"Mimic? Cal is that really you?" Sunspot asked as Network immediately pulled up and relayed bios on Mimic to the rest of the team.

"Don't call me that. Mimic and Calvin Rankin died along with Mr. Sinister. I'm the Modifier now and very much new and improved. As you've already surmised why I'm called Modifier and what can happen with a simple scratch, but that's not all that changed about me.

"When Essex altered me and my mutant genetic code, my original powers altered and changed. I can no longer mimic other's powers but I've maintained a specific aspect of each of the original X-Men's Powers with a twist," Modifier smiled as he now stood alone against the young mutants.

"From Xavier I have the ability to block psychic attacks and intrusions, while from Cyclops I have the ability to generate energy that instead of blowing out my eyes it burns out form my skin instantly healing me," Modifier said as Hellion used his powers to grab a sharp stone and pin his clawed hand to the wall.

"You're not so tough without those," Hellion said with a smile.

"I do have to admit. Sinister was good with genetics and taking mutant DNA and tweaking it to do more than it's original plan," Modifier smiled as his eyes glowed and an optic blast shot from his hand instead of his eyes.

"That's not good," Hellion said to Network as the blast vanished doing no damage but leaving a completely healed hand in its wake.

"He has to be well conscious enough to do that so time to take him down," Sunspot said using the energy he absorbed off of Magma to channel and send off some plasma blasts.

"From Jean Grey I have the ability to form tek-shields around my body," Modifier said as a glimmer formed around him causing the blasts to hit him with no ill effect.

"Well, try and heal this," Magma said as she opened the ground below him and causing lava to engulf him.

"Amara, I know we have to do what we can to take him down but killing isn't an option," Cannonball said as the lava went back into the Earth.

"Don't' worry, I'm not that easy to get rid of," Modifier said crawling out of the hole, his skin and body glowing bright red.

"What the?" Sunspot asked glancing at Cannonball.

"From Iceman, my body can resist extreme elements like heat as well as the cold," Modifier said as his skin went from red to blue and then back to his normal shade of white.

"How do we stop him?" Bliss asked in fear.

"Just from what I've gathered, he can only use those powers one at a time," Network relayed to her teammates.

"Yes, but I can switch between them quickly. From Beast's strength to Angel's swift agility and movement," Modifier said as he bulked up and ripped part of the wall out and threw it at the mutants distracting them and just as fast slimmed down and sailed threw the air with great speed landing behind Mole.

"Watch out," Sam said as his blast field protected him from the wall and Hellion protected the others.

"I just wish I could control the effect of my modifying powers. Like you all, I have to wait to see what happens," Modifier said as he extended his claws, slashed open Mole's throat and then quickly moved back across the room away from the mutants.

"Mole!" Bliss shouted dropping to his side.

"Watch out, I have healing abilities," Magma said kneeling down and then pausing.

There wasn't much blood as the wound was quickly closing and healing on its own. In seconds the wound was closed and appeared as if he had never been touched. Then, without warning, Mole began to scream as the ground began to shake below him. As Bliss moved toward her friend, the ground opened up and sucked Mole straight down and then sealed up right behind him. Modifier laughed as Bliss pounded at the ground.

"I can feel the earth moving. Anything in his path moves out of the way and then seals back up," Magma said as she reached out with her powers but not able to help the Morlock.

"It appears his powers fluxed out of control," Network said.

"What a shame. If the lack of air or drain on his powers don't cause him to pass out and die stranded in the center of the Earth, the Earth's core with burn him alive," Modifier laughed.

"You animal," Bliss shouted as she ran at him.

"Bliss, don't," Network called out.

"Don't worry, once touched by my claws, they no longer have an effect on you. The wound just stays," Modifier smiled as he quickly grabbed Bliss by the neck and slowly cut across her neck drawing blood as the wound did not heal.

"Enough!" Hellion shouted as he took flight and pushed with his powers grabbing Bliss and Modifier, tearing them apart and sending them in opposite directions.

"Allow me," Magma said placing her hand on Bliss's neck.

Magma's hand went red as molten lava flowed from it and covered Bliss's neck. She then pulled her hand back leaving a red burn mark but the wound was gone and completely healed. Magma assured her it was like a sunburn and would fade and that she would be just fine. She then stood up as she helped calm the girl who was still grieving the loss of her friend.

"Now that I'm done introducing myself and demonstrating my powers, it's time to show you how efficient I am with them and just how quickly I can kill you all," Modifier said as he moved with great speed at them and then bulking up with strength as he neared them and flexing his claws to use them at any moment.

_**Morlock Tunnels – Main Living Community**_

"I'm going to be sick," Skids said as they appeared in the middle of her people's massacre.

"You're going to have to be tough. Time is a factor here. We need to find the rest of Gen Next and any surviving Morlocks," Siryn said as she tried to reach out through her com unit.

"She's right and keep an eye out. Hard telling if there are any mutations still around," Bishop said as he waved his guns from side to side as Wolfsbane shifted to full wolf form and darted off sniffing out for survivors.

"Over here," Rictor said as he saw something in what looked like a small smashed in hut.

"Help me with this," Siryn said as she, Rictor and Skids removed the rubble.

"Callisto, Masque, are they alive?" Skids asked.

"Masque is dead," Siryn said checking the Morlock's pulse then turning to the former leader of the Morlocks, "and Callisto is…"

"Alive and that's all that matters," Callisto said as Rictor helped her to her feet.

"Callisto, you look," Skids began to say as she eyed the rough but very normal looking woman.

"We made it back here but it wasn't long before Modifier and his mutations attacked. I lost sight off Erg in the battle as I took on Modifier. Unfortunately I got clawed and lost my mutant gene. Last thing I remember is getting blasted into Masque and having the hut collapse on us," Callisto said.

"I'll take you back to the mansion," Hub began to say when Callisto glared at her.

"I may no longer be a mutant but I'm still deadly," Callisto said as she reached into her pants pockets and whirled a switch blade in her left hand and twirled a pistol in her right.

"We lost a team searching for you and another is fighting Modifier now," Siryn said as she filled in Callisto on everything.

"We are a proud people and will not hide or shy from our attackers. For now, finding the survivors is first priority, and then I deal with the Modifier," Callisto said as she breathed in deeply at the sight of her people's home.

"I don't think there's any more of those creatures here," Bishop said walking back towards them.

"That's because we finished the last of them off," a voice called out form the other end of the area.

They all turned to see X-23, Erg, M, Husk, Chamber, Firecracker, Synch, a large cat looking creature and a very skinny humanoid looking lion with very grey fur walking next to it walking towards them. Siryn was so glad to see all of Gen Next accounted for. Most looked worse for wear but alive never the less. Siryn ran up to them as the others followed.

"What's up with the cat and anorexic lion?" Rictor smirked.

"The lion would be Timbor. He can't talk but he has the ability to calm, charm and tame animals," Callisto said glaring at Rictor.

"Yes, and thanks to him we were able to control Feral," Chamber said.

"Feral?" Wolfsbane growled slightly at the large cat.

"She was sliced by Modifier. Her powers were amplified changing her to a full fledge cat. If it wasn't for Timbor she would have succumbed to her rage killing everyone and herself," Synch said as everyone gasped at him.

From afar he looked fine but up close they saw he had changed. He was walking a little stiff and slow and even though his skin was still black and smooth, it was no longer soft or actual flesh. It appeared that Synch was now made of stone. Firecracker touched his arm as she held back a sigh. Siryn looked to him for explanation.

"I had my throat sliced open by Modifier and was sure I was dead for real this time, but to my surprise the wound healed. After that, a secondary mutation kicked in and my skin became stone. I have added strength and resistance to injury, but it'll take me time and training to get used to moving like this," Synch explained.

"Until then, he has to synch my flight powers so he can move more freely," M smiled as Firecracker glared at her.

"Don't worry, it won't effect my ability to lead this team," Synch said quickly.

"No time to worry about that now and I have every faith you'll be able to overcome this just fine. First we need to find any more survivors and then get back to the others," Siryn said as she quickly filled them in on everything including the whereabouts of their other two members, Network and Hellion.

Thanks to Synch, Feral and Timbor and Wolfsbane they were able to search faster. Skids and Callisto grew more emotional as it seemed Modifier and his mutations had massacred every Morlock in the tunnels. In the end they managed to find only twenty-five other surviving Morlocks, most of which were in need of medical attention whether it was minor or major. Among the twenty-five was Jo, Healer, who had passed out from the strain of healing those he could and Bouncer, who had been clawed and given a secondary mutation of creating a white hot sphere fire around himself which also seemed to ignite when he teleported so anyone who couldn't survive fire would die during the teleport.

There was also Hump, Bertram, Pester and Ent who were majorly injured and needed help. There were three other Morlocks that they found that were injured but had been healed just enough by Healer before he passed out to make it on their own for now. Siryn knew right away Marrow was not happy to see an X-Group or Callisto. Marrow kept to herself for now, but one of the other Morlocks said that Marrow, Tether and Boost had just arrived to take back control of the Morlocks and unify them when Modifier had attacked. Siryn could tell she was also trying to deal with the death of so many of her people, including Monte, Brain Cell, Carver and Fugue.

"Besides the group relocated in Chicago and the London Dwellers, this is all that's left of the Morlocks," Callisto sighed as Marrow glared at her. They knew that after the first Massacre, it had been nothing but a downward, rough and deadly road for the Morlocks. As much as they both hated to admit it, maybe finally excepting the X-Men's offer to join the above ground world was their only key to survival.

"Hub, take all the injured back first. Then you can come back for the others and then we'll go back for the others fighting Modifier. Skids, you and Callisto will go back and make sure they are tended to till we get back," Siryn said.

"No, I will stay here and secure the evacuation and make sure the Modifier is taken down," Callisto said with finality.

"As will I," Marrow said swaying a little as she got to her feet.

"I don't have time for this. Flashfire, go back with Skids for now and we'll deal with the rest on the second port," Siryn said as Hub pushed her powers and grabbing as many as she could and teleporting out.

Wolfsbane watched and was impressed at how Hub was getting stronger at teleporting more people. She managed to take Skids and Flashfire along with seventeen Morlocks. That just left four Morlocks she didn't know, Erg, Timbor, who stayed to tame Feral for now, Bouncer, Tether, Boost and Marrow and Callisto who Rahne knew Siryn would force to go back on trip two whether they wanted to or not. That would still leave her, Bishop, Siryn, Rictor and the rest of Gen Next to help the other team stop Modifier, if they hadn't already.

"Even though he killed our master, he made us quite the offer. We get to live if we clean up any who his mutations missed," a voice says as a harpoon pierces one of the unknown Morlocks killing him and a gun shot kills a second unknown Morlock.

"Marauders!" Callisto spat as everyone looked over to see a man holding a harpoon and another man holding giant guns standing in front of five other figures.

"Let's finish this Massacre," Scalphunter said as he leads his team of Harpoon, Prism, Arclight, Blockbuster, Riptide and Scrambler into battle.

_**Epilogue**_

"Mona, any word?" Dani asked looking in.

"No, they've arrived into the tunnels and have engaged but I've been unable to get any more. Communication has been cut. I'm just waiting till they report back in," Mona said looking over at Dani Moonstar.

"If you want a break I can watch the monitor for awhile," Dani said.

"Thanks, and don't worry. Sam will come back with the others," Mona said as Dani smiled and she walked out of the room.

Mona headed over to the medical quarters. It was so weird to see Sam in love with Dani when he had sworn his heart to another, but that had been a different life. Mona missed those times before her sister had inserted everyone back into new lives and hid her away from Charles. Even though her team had been short lived, it was the only time she had ever been truly happy. Now they were all living new lives and she was the only one with any memories of their time together. Even if some were doing well or maybe better off, others hadn't fared so well. Mona immediately thought of Illyana as she stepped into the infirmary.

"Any change?" Mona asked as Lucinda shook her head no.

"She's still in a coma but Sage has detected some brain activity," Lucinda Guthrie said in a tone that was trying to be hopeful.

Mona sighed as she walked past the bed of Banshee and ran into another woman. "Sorry."

"That's okay. Wait do I know you?" The woman asked suddenly staring at Mona.

"It's hard to say," Mona lied immediately recognizing her old teammate Fira, but that was then and now she is known as Sunpyre.

"It's just that I feel like I know you or something. Must be Déjà vu or something," Leyu Yoshida said staring at the woman.

"Must be. Sorry about the loss of your brother," Mona added as she changed the subject.

"Thanks, it's hard but he sacrificed himself to stop the Demon Storm. It was an honorable death," Sunpyre sighed.

"What brings you to the mansion?" Mona asked feeling awkward.

"I got a letter from Amara saying that it was important that I come here. She had something very important to reveal to me, but she's out on a mission so I thought I would come see my brother's old friend," Sunpyre said nodding at Banshee, who had also been injured.

"Yeah, I'm down here checking on Illyana whose still in a coma," Mona said as they both stepped over to the blond girl's bedside.

"That's too bad. I really don't know her all that well though," Sunpyre said.

"If you only knew," Mona said with tears.

"What?" Leyu asked in with a strange look.

"Sit, if you would. Not only can I fill you in on what Amara was going to tell you, but I can tell you so much more. Finally I can talk about our team, the Secret Mutants," Mona said as she held Illyana's hand and stared at the confused Sunpyre.

**Next: Issue #24 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Three & Secret Mutants: Secret Genesis – Part One**

_**Author's Note: Starting next month, all current titles will start featuring a back up story for a limited time. Here's a teaser list:**_

Salem-X #27 - Featuring Wiccan & the Young Avengers: Will see the formation of the team.

New Exiles # 26 - Featuring Black Axe & the Outsiders: Will tell the origin of the Time Quake World & the Outsiders.

Mutant Generation Force #24 - Featuring the Original New Mutants & the Secret New Mutants: Will tell Moira MacTaggert's secret mutant team's origin and the search for Daken.

Power Pack #23 - Featuring G-Force & the New Warriors: Will see an old foe coming back to hunt down anyone that has been a member of the New Warriors.

X-Calibur #23 - Featuring Lionheart(future) & Black Knight(present day) & the Avengers: Will see the government creating a new Avengers Initiative & sanctioned team.

Sensational X-Men #23 - Featuring Wolverine & Alpha Flight: Will see what happened to the Canadian Heroes after the Demon Storm.


	25. Morlock Massacre II Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #24 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Three **

_**Morlock Tunnels – Main Living Community**_

"Stay on your guard and protect the Morlocks," Bishop said he absorbs the blasts from Scalphunter and redirects them back from his hands.

"Since when was he put in charge?" Firecracker asked as she sent off a series of exploding lights at the attacking group of mutants.

"Not now, Jubes. Just concentrate on taking them down," Siryn said as she sent a sonic scream at Blockbuster and almost pushing him back.

"You don't stand a chance, just lie down and die already," Harpoon said as he reached back, grabbed a harpoon in each hand, charged them up and threw them with great force.

The first harpoon flew at Bouncer hitting him in the back and exploding. Callisto screamed as the smoking Morlock body lay face down with a harpoon sticking out of his back. The second spear hit Husk, sending her backwards into the wall with an impacting explosion. Firecracker called out as she saw her friend covered in debris and not moving.

"Two more down, and I even got their only teleporter," Harpoon laughed.

"Don't count me out yet," Husk spat as she pushed the rubble off of her and made it to her feet.

They all looked in surprise as the mutant not only tossed aside a harpoon split in two but chunks of her skin. In a few moments she had wiped off all the dirt and remaining skin from her body to reveal her new form. Thanks to Husk's mutant power, she could shed her skin and take on a new form to survive. Instead of flesh, Husk was now a powerhouse of steel. She looked completely like a female version of Colossus. With a war cry Husk charged at the Marauders. Firecracker was sad that Bouncer had died, but felt even guiltier that she was just thankful Husk had survived.

"We out number them, this shouldn't be this hard," Synch said as blasts from Scalphunter bounced off his new stone covered body.

"Remember, they are trained killers, we are not," Firecracker said.

"Speak for yourself," Callisto said as she found herself behind Scrambler. "No more killing my people," was the last thing Scrambler ever heard as Callisto's knife plunged deep into his back.

"You witch, now face the wrath of my power," Riptide said as he called on his powers.

Riptide's body suddenly began to spin at superhuman speed. He quickly flew into the air spinning rapidly above the battle ground. Before anyone could react, dozens of shurikens flew from his spinning body at super high speed and force. Synch, Husk and M were fortunate enough to be invulnerable from them but the others weren't as lucky. Chamber, Firecracker, Bishop and Siryn used their powers to destroy and keep the death stars from hitting them while others like Wolfsbane and X-23 had to simply maneuver and leap to avoid being hit. Not all were successful.

Callisto and Marrow had moved with only minor cuts but the last two unknown Morlocks had been struck with lethal hits. Feral had a few hit her and it was all Timbor could do to keep her from going feral. Siryn glanced around and saw many with minor inflictions and only two casualties but they wouldn't last long if Riptide kept this up. They couldn't avoid his death stars forever.

"We have to take him out," Siryn called out as Synch nodded.

"Let me try something," Synch said as he reached out with his powers.

A prism of colored energy extended from his body as it engulfed Chamber. The colored energy vanished as quickly as it appeared as Synch pulled the power back in on himself. With a smile, Synch began to glow as he took flight and flew at Riptide as the shurikens continued to bounce off his stone body. Once he was close enough to the spinning mutant he called on his new powers. His body flashed as a powerful blast of psionic energy erupted from his body and hit Riptide sending him flying across the room and into the far wall. Gen Next cheered as Riptide remained unconscious against the far wall.

"That's twice now. I wish I knew how you made my powers do that," Chamber said knowing all he could do was send a blast that he had to hold back on so not to destroy the newly repaired body he had received form his time in Weapon X.

"Guys, I'm back," Hub said as she appeared out of thin air.

"Hub, watch out," Bishop shouted but was too late.

Arclight called on her powers and with a blinding flash, hit Hub with a shockwave backed punch sending the mutant flying across the room with great force. Hub hit the wall and dropped. M was by her side in moments and looked over the woman. She was alive, but needed serious medical attention.

"Looks like their only way out is gone," Arclight smiled.

"You have the right idea, I'm growing tired of the games," Scalphunter said as he called on his powers to recreate his tech gear into two very large guns.

With great skill and force he fired off round after round. One hit X-23 and tore out her side. X-23 growled as her healing factor kicked in. Two more rounds had hit both Boost and Siryn. Rictor didn't know where or how hard they had hit them, but he saw them both go down. Bishop was already making his way to Siryn as Tether screamed, making her way to her lover's side. Scalphunter smiled as he took one final calculated shot. Before Rictor could warn Timbor, the Morlock jerked as a shot hit him between the eyes. It wasn't the loss of the Morlock that worried Rictor; it was the only means of controlling Feral that panicked him.

"Get them kitty," Harpoon laughed as Feral went crazy and pounced on Wolfsbane slashing with her claws.

X-23 was already in motion, heading at Feral with as much hunger as her. Rictor knew he had to do something and it was time to take off the kid gloves. Focusing his powers and ignoring the abjections from a couple teammates, he unleashed a shockwave directly at Prism with the intent to kill. Prism smiled as he leapt into the path and called on his powers. Instantly the shockwave reflected and redirected off his body and went right back towards Rictor and his comrades. The shockwave hit with a force so great it caused the ceiling to crack and cave down upon the Morlocks and Generation Next.

"Alright, Marauders, get down there and help find survivors. And when you do…kill them," Scalphunter said as he reloaded his weapons.

_**Somewhere Else in the Morlock Tunnels **_

Modifier was almost upon the five mutants and one recently created human. Hellion called on his powers, grabbed Modifier and hoisted him up and over sending him flying across to the other end of the tunnel. He knew this wouldn't stop him by a long shot, but it would give them time to regroup. He looked at Cannonball, Sunspot, Magma, Network and Bliss and knew that they had Modifier out numbered now that his mutations had all been taken down. The only problem was, were they enough to stop this one man powerhouse?

"I always knew the man was crazy, but how could he go this far down the wrong path," Cannonball said.

"Well, can you blame him? Look what Sinister did to him. He created a monster and apparently got what he deserved in return," Sunspot replied.

"It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for his claws and gene altering powers," Magma said glancing at Bliss, who had been turned normal and lost her friend Mole because of Modifier's scratch induced powers.

"How do we stop him? His X-Men based powers alone make him pretty safe against any of our powers," Network said, starting to wonder why she ever agreed to join Generation Next.

"Network, can you get your Com back up and radio help back to the mansion?" Cannonball asked.

"Already on it," Network said as she grabbed her Com Unit and held it in her hand calling on her powers.

"Can't have that," Modifier said as he moved with great speed and used his claws to severe the hand right off Network's arm.

"Sarah!" Cannonball screamed as he powered up and blasted at Modifier, hitting him and carrying him back down the tunnel with him and away from Network.

"Oh my God," Sarah said as she looked at the blood shooting out of her left arm and fainted.

The wound on her arm began to close up and heal almost instantly. By the time her head hit the ground, a perfectly healed stump landed next to her severed hand holding a Com Unit. Magma was immediately by the young mutant's side wondering if she could reattach the arm and hand with her new healing powers. As she reached down, Network's body began to convulse and then stopped just as suddenly. Magma took a close look and, at this point, couldn't tell which side effect of Modifier's power she was suffering from.

"I knew it, these kids are way too young and not ready to go into the field like this," Magma whispered as she cradled the young girl.

"Get a grip, Amara. We've gone up against twice as much as them at a much younger age. In this day and age it's do or die no matter how old you are," Sunspot said as he turned at the noise heading their way from down the tunnel Sam and Modifier had gone down.

"He's coming back, what do we do?" Bliss asked as Magma continued to hold Network and glared at Sunspot.

"Hellion, I want you to grab hold of him and use all your strength to hold him completely pinned to the ground. Magma, you have no choice, open the Earth and have your lava take him straight down. To be sure, Hellion will use his power to hold and push him straight down. Once far enough, seal the Earth behind him. If he can survive that, at least it will take a long time to find his way back to the top," Sunspot said as Modifier came running at them.

"You think you can stop me?" Modifier said as he charged at Hellion.

"Ready?" Sunspot said as Hellion nodded and took his queue.

Hellion called on his powers and pinned the evil mutant to the ground. Hellion strained as he could feel the man shifting between strength and shield to try and pull free. Magma took a deep breath as she prepared to do what she had vowed to never do again, take a life. She felt her power flow through her and then into the Earth. The lava and rock below the ground began to church and move as she took hold and commanded it. Just as she was about to open the ground and swallow up the Modifier, she felt a hard force on the back of her head and then blacked out.

"Amara, what are you waiting for?" Sunspot asked as he turned to see her laying face down next to Network and two figures standing behind them.

"Miss us?" Black Tom smiled as he waved a club in his hand.

"Payback time," Justin Pierce said as he fired off a blast that hit Hellion causing him to lose hold of his powers.

"As you can see, as your other friends I'm sure have found out by now, I always have a backup plan," Modifier said getting to his feet quickly.

Sunspot glanced at the unconscious Network and Magma and then at Hellion who was holding a wounded arm. He then looked up and realized that they were surrounded. Modifier was on one side and Black Tom and Pierce on the other. He took a deep breath and called on his powers as he awaited their attack.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

_**Secret Genesis – Part One**_

_**Prologue - The Present**_

_**Illyana's Bedside**_

"What are you talking about?" Sunpyre asked staring at the woman like she was insane.

"Xavier had some secrets that he's kept hidden very well. I know, because my sister Moira MacTaggert was a part of it and I've learned and lived it all," Mona said as a confused Sunpyre listened to her talk about the original X-Men and their siblings that had died and been erased. _**As told in Xavier's Secret Part One**_

"Trust me, even if that is true, it doesn't surprise me about the man. My brother never really trusted him. How does this involve me?" Sunpyre asked.

"Because, Xavier held one more secret from everyone and my sister, to help protect us all, helped hide it away," Mona said as she glanced from Sunpyre to Illyana and back.

"What are you talking about, protect us?" Sunpyre began to grow concerned.

"You see, at one time, you were called Fira and I was your teacher and fiend. We all were, including Illyana here," Mona said as she began to tell her tale.

_**Muir Island - The Past**_

_**A Secret and Secluded Part of the Island**_

"What do you think of the place?" Charles Xavier asked as Mona MacTaggert looked around the research facility.

"It's great, and don't get me wrong, but I still don't know why you picked me?" Mona asked looking at the bald headed man.

"Because, like me you have studied and hold a great interest in the study of genetics and mutations in humans. As you know, I'm an activist in mutant rights and living in harmony," Xavier said as Mona took a seat next to him.

"Yes, and I see how much you defend and promote the X-Men. Besides being mutants, they are no different than the Avengers," Mona smiled.

"That attitude is exactly why I've chosen you. Well, that and you being a mutant yourself," Xavier smiled as Mona looked at him with wide eyes.

"How did you?" Mona asked getting up from her chair.

"Don't worry, my dear girl. Like you, I'm a mutant myself," Xavier said to her without moving his lips.

"How did you? You were in my mind?" Mona said with fright.

"Yes, I have the power of telepathy as you have the ability to teleport. Right now, it is a lot of work to train the X-Men while keeping them safe and myself secret. I don't dare risk having too many students at this time. I would like to bring some students here to this secluded place so you can train and study them. Who better to help the mutant cause than a fellow mutant, right?" Xavier said with a mental push.

"This is great. Not only can I train and help these mutants, I can do further study on genetic mutations. I'll do it," Mona said without having to give it a second thought.

"This is great. You'll have everything you need and supplied to you here. I will start bringing you students here shortly and I will trust you to keep things secure here and isolated from the rest of the world," Xavier said as he did a few final pushes with his powers.

"Now get settled and I'll be seeing you soon," Xavier said as he left the Island.

Mona smiled as she looked around. Not once did she question anything Xavier had said or instructed of her. Never once did she think about contacting the outside world or even wonder what else was on this island, let alone outside the facility grounds. Mona immediately got familiar with the equipment and found she could learn it and use it with great ease. Xavier said it was user friendly. After a week, Xavier contacted her saying he would be arriving with her first student. Mona couldn't wait. Being an only child, she longed for friends and interaction with other people, which made her new job here on Muir Island ideal.

Mona waited for her first student to arrive as Xavier told her all about her. Her name was Anna Marie Adler. She was about the same age as Mona and had long brown hair and blue skin. Xavier said that her blue skin was an inherited trait from her mutant mother who also had blue skin. Xavier said he had discovered her by chance when he was recruiting a mutant by the name of Kurt Wagner in Germany. He had picked up an image of his birth mother from an old memory and did some research. He soon located and tracked down the woman in a hidden cabin.

It wasn't easy and he had only found her because of Anna's mother Irene. Kurt's mom was a mutant with the ability to shape shift which made it hard for Xavier to touch her mind. He had found them when he heard Irene think her name, Raven Darkholm. Xavier approached and saw that Irene was visiting with Anna while Raven, in the form of a man chopped wood. Pulling from Irene's mind, Xavier learned that it seemed that Raven had somehow not only managed to take the form of a man but had managed to do it well enough to get Irene pregnant. He also learned that they had raised Anna here in this cabin while Raven went off and did secretive and evil things.

To was revealed to Xavier that Anna's mother was a mutant with precog powers and used it to help them with scams and personal gain. Being a precog, they had also been waiting for him. Raven attacked him while Irene predicted his every move. Being a telepath, Xavier was prepared too and hit Raven with all he could. Anna soon "helped" Xavier claiming she wanted to be rescued from her evil parents. They both knocked out the evil parents and Xavier "took" Anna to safety with him knowing she would be safe hidden on Muir Island with Mona.

Xavier had told Mona that because of her parent's evil nature and potential threat, he chose not to reveal to Kurt the identity of his true mother. Also, in fear of Anna wanting to go out in search of her half-brother and risk the threat of Raven and Irene, he "convinced" Mona never to reveal or talk about Anna's brother or parents. Mona was completely in agreement and would never mention it ever. Xavier was glad and then gave her a run down of Anna's powers.

Like her mother, her powers were morphing based as well as psi-based like her other mother. She could reach out with her mind and see a person's mutant power. WHile using this part of her gift, she could use her other mutant ability in unison. She couldn't shape shift like her mom, but she could shift and alter her genetic code to match that of the power she saw making her able to perform the same ability for a limited time. Xavier said it would not only be her challenge to help Anna figure out and develop the extent of her mutant power, but based on her ability, she could really get a good look at genetic codes and how they change. Mona couldn't agree or be more excited.

Mona stepped outside as a jet departed. Mona could see a girl with blue skin walking her way. Mona didn't know if she should just greet the girl or run and give her a big hug. It was hard to tell how a person would act after being held prisoner by evil parents and finally be granted freedom but only on a secure and hidden island. Mona took a deep breath as she decided to just approach the girl with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Mona MacTaggert. Welcome to Muir Island," Mona smiled.

"This is great. Where's my room? When do I start training to use my powers?" The blue skinned girl named Anna asked as she moved right past Mona and into the building. Mona shrugged and followed right after, eagerly to work with her first mutant.

Mona wasn't sure how much time had past but she had done her best to help Anna with her powers. Mona had assured her when other students got here they would be able to test them more. Anna seemed a little impatient about wanting to master her powers but took it in stride and let Mona do what tests they could. Mona also knew she couldn't really do a whole lot till she had more students. Until then she did her best to work with Anna and they got along great. They weren't the best of friends, but they were as close as two strangers on an island could get.

One day, as Anna was taking a break in the indoor pool, Mona received an alert from Xavier. She ran to her computer and opened the line to learn that Xavier was sending her another student. He said that she had to be ready for this one. His name was Daken and he could possibly be a handful.

**Next: Issue #25 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Four & Secret Mutants: Secret Genesis – Part Two**


	26. Morlock Massacre II Part Four

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #25 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Four **

_**Morlock Tunnels – Main Living Community**_

Synch laid there for a moment, stunned and trying to recall what had just happened. They were in the middle of a battle when Rictor jumped the gun and unleashed his powers upon the Marauders. This resulted in Prism using his powers to capture and redirect Rictor's power right back all of them causing the ceiling and living area to cave in on all of them. Thanks to his new stone skin, Synch had survived and was fine but was now trapped underneath an unknown pile of rubble. He had no idea how he was going to get out or if anyone else had survived.

"Can anyone hear me?" Synch asked with great strain and uncertainty of the level of his voice.

"Everett, is that you?" Husk asked from somewhere near him.

"Yes, are you okay?" Synch asked whishing it wasn't so dark.

"Yeah, my steel skin pretty much saved me," Husk laughed nervously.

"As did my stone skin but it doesn't help with getting me out of the encasement," Synch said.

"Maybe you can synch with my powers and use it with higher abilities to get out," Husk suggested.

"I thought about that, but I don't want to risk losing my protective form. Not sure how your powers would make with my new secondary mutation," Synch said knowing that now wasn't a good time to chance the unknown.

"I know what you mean. I'm afraid to change my form too, even though I'm pinned so tight I don't think I could move enough to peel my skin away," Husk said.

"I do have an idea. Maybe I can use my powers to reach out and not only check on the others but maybe synch with a power that might be useful," Synch said as he closed his eyes.

Everett reached out with his powers, searching for a mutant signature to synch up with. He began to worry when he wasn't finding any. Was he and Husk he only survivors? Was this the tragic ending to their first mission? It couldn't be and he wasn't going to give up hope. Pushing out farther he finally felt a signature straight above him. It was familiar to him and he had to guess it was Arclight. The fact that he didn't feel anyone directly above him but her made him know it was safe and his only chance at freedom and payback.

Reaching out with his powers he latched on to the mutant signature above him. He could feel her power becoming his power and instantly saw every spectrum of its use. He pulled his power back into him and then called upon his new acquired ability. Pushing his powers upwards he sent shockwaves that caused the debris on top of him to push up and away from his body in a huge explosion. He then used the power to create shockwaves to propel him up as if in flight. The Marauders turned in shock as the ground under Arclight exploded and tossed her across the room as Synch came flying out and landing in front of them.

Synch glanced quickly and saw that he and the Marauders were the only mutants standing in what was left of the Morlock's home. He hoped that everyone was alive and okay somewhere below the debris. He wanted nothing more than to search for them and help them out, but right now he had a handful of evil mutants to take down. Having died once and given a second chance at life has made him determined to never die again. This was one fight he didn't intend to lose. It was time to kick some Marauder butt.

Calling on his new power, Synch sent a shockwave that sent everyone but Blockbuster flying backwards. Knowing he couldn't let any of them get the upper hand he cranked up the power causing the Marauders to be pinned to the ground from the shear force of the shockwaves. Blockbuster wasn't down, but at least it was slowing him down and making it hard for him to advance too fast at him. Synch knew he couldn't keep this up forever and had to come up with another method of keeping them down. Glancing up he saw the ceiling and knew he had no choice. To survive he would have to bury them.

"We have to stop him," Scalphunter said as he tried to move.

"You're right, and I'm sorry I have to do this, John," Harpoon said as he glanced over at Arclight and was able to move his arm just right and call on his powers.

"No!" John Greycrow screamed as he heard his girlfriend scream and turned enough to see Harpoon's Slayspear sticking through Arclight's head. "I'll kill you!"

"It had to be done. He was using her powers against us and the only way to stop that is to kill his power source," Harpoon said as the shockwaves vanished, leaving Synch void of the power.

"I'll deal with you later. Blockbuster, finish him," Scalphunter said as he and the rest of his team began to recoup from the after effects of the shockwaves.

"I'll love this," Blockbuster smiled as he charged at Synch.

"You're all talk," a voice behind Synch says as two powerful blasts hit Blockbuster and pauses his charge.

"Good to see you, Bishop," Synch said as he saw the veteran X-Man walking up carrying Siryn. "How is she?"

"Shielded her with my body and used up what power I had in reserve to blast us free of the cave-in. I stopped the bleeding. She's hurt pretty bad, but she'll live," Bishop said as the last of his power was drained upon Blockbuster.

"Good to hear she'll be okay," Synch smiled as he reached out with his powers making Siryn's his own.

Calling on his new power, Synch opened his mouth and sent a high pitch scream right at Blockbuster causing him to drop to the ground and cover his ears in pain. Changing tactics, Synch shifted the sound and frequency of the sound waves. Suddenly the sound vanished and Blockbuster gave a startling yelp. Synch called off his power as the Marauder fell to the ground unconscious.

"What did you do to him?" Riptide asked as the four remaining Marauders had gotten to their feet.

"Long story short, I told his brain to make him go to sleep," Synch said as he opened his mouth to let loose his power again.

"Go ahead, try it," Prism said as he jumped into Synch's path and called on his powers causing Synch to stop.

"Can't risk him sending it right back at us," Synch said as Bishop nodded.

"Looks like it's the end of the road, X-Men," Scalpunter said as giant weapons formed on both of his arms.

"Yeah, for you maybe," M said as she came smashing out of the rubble and right at the evil mutant.

Scalphunter turned as M grabbed him by the neck with her left hand and flew straight up as she ripped his weapons off his arm with her right hand. M wasn't sure what she should do. Bishop was giving the approval to do it while Synch shouted his disapproval. As his neck began to give, M pulled back and decided to make Everett happy. Instead of killing the mutant, she threw him with great force into the far wall were he hit and then landed upon the ground.

"You should have finished him," Bishop growled as Synch just glared at him as Harpoon pulled out another Slayspear.

"Yes, to live, I agree," X-23 says as she extends her claws from each hand and crosses her arms in front of her and lashes back outwards, slicing open Harpoon's throat.

Prism takes a step back as X-23 shifts around and brings her leg up in a round kick. Just as her foot reaches Prism, an adamantium claw extends from her foot and shatters the evil mutant's head right from his body. X-23 brings her foot back down and goes into a crouching position as Prism's body and head fall to the ground. She immediately looks for her next kill.

"X, where's Rahne and Feral?" Bishop asked as he recalled X-23 leaping towards the two wolves battling when the ceiling caved down on them.

"I don't know," X-23 growled as a shadow caused her to shift.

They all looked over to see the Marauder known as Riptide laughing as he began to call on his powers. Synch tried to think quickly. In a matter of seconds Riptide's body would be spinning and his death stars would go flying. He would survive with his stone skin but he wasn't so sure about the others, especially Siryn. Before he or anyone could react, a loud growl came from above as a cat-like creature pounced upon Riptide. Synch gasped as he saw the very savage Feral tearing Riptide apart with her teeth and claws. In a matter of seconds, Riptide was no more.

"Feral, can you understand me?" Synch asked as the beast had turned towards them, ready for the next victim.

"I will handle her," X-23 said as she extended her claws.

"No, she doesn't know what she's doing," Synch said as Feral growled and licked her lips.

"Everett, the Feral we know is no more," Bishop said as he eyed the savage cat.

With a howl, Feral leapt at the group of mutants. They all prepared for the attack when a loud gunshot went off followed by three more. They all watched in shock and horror as four blasts plunged into Feral, three into her body and one in the side of her head. Feral hit the ground and did not move. Synch didn't have to look at was left of her face to know she was dead. Synch looked over to see Scalphunter laying against the wall holding up a smoking gun.

"Down kitty," Scalphunter chuckled as he gave one final cough, and dropped his gun and head.

"Darn it!" Synch swore as he tried to hold the tears back as he glanced down at Feral's body.

"It's a hard world we mutants live in and the future only gets darker. To survive, sometimes it's them or us and we have to make and live with the decisions we dread," Bishop said as he placed Siren gently on the ground.

"We have to find the others and get them back to the mansion," Synch said wanting noting more than the others to be alright.

"We'll find them," Bishop said as he gave commands to X-23 to start sniffing them out while Synch reached out with his powers hoping to latch on to someone.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

_**Secret Genesis – Part Two**_

_**Muir Island The Past**_

_**A Secret and Secluded Part of the Island**_

"Who is that?" Anna Marie asked as she stepped into Mona's office and glanced at the photo of a man with long dark hair that was pulled back into a pony tail.

"This is Daken, he will be one of your fellow students here," Mona said as she eyed the photo of the man.

"What can he do?" Anna asked not because she really cared but because she couldn't wait to try out her powers on someone new.

Almost right away, Mona had started studying her powers. It seemed she was able to foresee a person's mutant ability and then cause her mutant gene to shift and change to match that of the mutant and allow her to copy their powers. The only side effect was that when she did that, it slightly weakened the other's powers and she only had them for a limited time. Of course Mona was the only one she could practice with, but it seemed she had no control over the time limit. Her genes would shift back to normal with no warning or reasoning. One time she could teleport for a minute and another time she could do it for ten minutes.

The one thing Mona kept stressing was that she had to be careful until she mastered the time limit of her geneshifting abilities. Anna agreed. The last thing she wanted to do was copy the ability to fly and reach one hundred feet high and suddenly lose the ability and plummet to the ground. All in all, she liked her powers but wished she could shift her form like her father, Raven, instead of here genes. That way she wouldn't have to go around looking blue and could fit in and not feel like an outcast. Anna tried to deal with these feelings and Mona being so accepting made it easier to feel accepted. She was beginning to like Mona and now she would have a new person and power to train with.

"According to his file, he has healing capabilities that also give him enhanced strength, senses and reflexes," Mona said as she saw Anna smiling.

"Nice, and not bad on the eyes either," Anna said trying to cover her nervousness about Daken reacting to her blue skin.

"Why don't you go get a room ready for him? He'll be here any moment," Mona said turning back to the file as Anna left the room mumbling.

This new one made her a bit nervous. Xavier didn't know his true age since his healing factor slowed his aging. He looked like he was in his teens, but Charles thought he might actually be older than that. Charles said that he had run into a mutant and in helping him he had found a memory of a woman who had been murdered while carrying his child. Feeling the pain of this loss, Charles couldn't shake it from his mind when he went to use Cerebro to look for more mutants and a strange blip appeared. After hours of studying the blip, Charles came to the conclusion that this unborn child was alive and a mutant.

It was luck but Charles had finally tracked the mutant to Japan where he found him and other children being held in an old orphanage. It seemed this crime lord abducted children and trained them to be his personal thieves and thugs. Daken was among these children, older and tougher but the only mutant. Charles had learned from reading their minds that the crime lord had stumbled across Daken's mother lying dead with none in sight anywhere. The crime lord was going to move on quickly before any authorities arrived and accused him of killing the woman, when he heard a cry.

He stopped and realized the cry was coming from the woman's womb that was already partially cut open. The crime lord knelt down and realized that the baby was somehow still alive inside and he quickly pulled out his blade and cut the baby from the womb. To his surprise the baby survived and seemed special. The crime lord took in the baby and named him Daken and trained him to follow in his footsteps. Especially when he learned that his Daken was very special in the fact that he healed very quickly and had enhanced abilities. So Daken was made the favorite and trained very well.

Charles didn't go into detail in the report but he had managed to defeat the crime lord and put him into custody as well as all the children. Charles managed to "hide" Daken from the authorities and "convinced" Daken that the crime lord was not his father figure and to come to Muir Island to train to use his powers for good. Daken didn't like it and Charles said he may prove difficult, but Charles had gotten Daken to agree that he wanted a better life and that this may be the fresh start he deserved instead of being placed into the system or worse, facing criminal charges with the crime lord. Charles told Mona that he wasn't sure if he could find his father again and for now it was wise not to mention it to him. Once again, Mona "decided" to listen to Charles and would do her best to help this new mutant.

"Here we go," Mona said to herself as she got up to meet the incoming plane.

"Wait for me," Anna said as she came up behind Mona as she was about to step outside.

They watched as a boy who looked to be in his late teens stepped off the plane. He wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans. His long hair was pulled back revealing his rough features and angry eyes. Mona could tell the kid didn't come from a great upbringing and was living as him against the world. Mona and Anna took a step forward as he was soon right before them. He stopped and looked both Mona and Anna up and down, not showing any sign of emotion on his face.

"Hi, Daken. This is Anna Marie Adler and I'm Mona Kinross," Mona said as she held out her hand.

"Where's my room?" Daken growled as he pushed his way past them and entered the building.

"Well, that didn't go as bad as I thought it would," Mona sighed.

"Mona, you said your last name was Kinross, but when I first got here you told me it was MacTaggert. What gives?" Anna said looking at Mona with suspicion.

"I did? I don't recall doing that and I don't even know where I would have gotten that name from. I was born Kinross and will remain till I get married one day," Mona said as she felt a headache forming.

"Okay, whatever. We better go check on Daken," Anna said as she eyed Mona for a moment and then went inside.

Mona stood there for a minute and then let the weird moment vanish away back to the back of her mind as she felt a strange presence. She turned around to see Charles coming down the plane's ramp with a girl of about thirteen or fourteen with flaming red hair. She looked very shy and awkward. Mona didn't realize she was getting another student so fast. She quickly met up with the two.

"Greetings, Ms. Kinross," Charles said with a smile.

"Hi, Charles, I didn't realize you were coming personally and with a second student," Mona said eyeing the child.

"I wanted to make sure Daken made it here with no problems," Charles said with a smile.

"Yeah, he seems a bit on edge but I think he'll be just fine here," Mona said and then nodded at the girl, "who do we have here?"

"This is Theresa Cassidy," Charles said out loud and then switched to his mind so the child wouldn't hear. "She has been raised by her uncle without her father's knowledge. She knows nothing of her father and her father believes she died along with her mother during a bombing.

"Her uncle decided not to tell his brother of the child and now that Tom has "decided" I should take her in to train her on her mutant powers, I think its wise to let the identity of her father remain dead," Charles said with a mental push.

"I almost see a pattern here. These children are all coming from very bad and broken homes," Mona thought back.

"Yes, the world can be cruel to mutants. Until the world learns to coexist with us, they are safer here with you," Charles said.

"What powers does she have?" Mona asked.

"She can generate supersonic screams. Which accidently manifested during a fight with her uncle and resulted in him agreeing to let me take her in to help with her gift," Charles explained back.

"My name is Mona Kinross and I think we'll all get along just fine here," Mona smiled as Theresa looked up at Charles.

"Don't worry, Theresa. You'll be safe here and Mona will help you to better understand and use your powers," Charles said as the girl nodded and walked over next to Mona.

"I can't stay long. I have to head to Africa to check out a possible mutant that I want to recruit for my school in the States," Charles said as he gave a friendly smile to the little girl and then nodded at Mona and left.

"Take care, Charles," Mona said as the bald man boarded the plane and left the Island.

"You ready to see your new home?" Mona asked.

"I don't have to share a room next to the boy with long hair do I? He scares me," Theresa whispered.

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay. He's not that bad. Not everything is what it seems on the outside and should never judge another just by looks," Mona said as the girl nodded and then headed into the facility.

Mona couldn't believe it. She had three students and could now do more tests and actually start training a group. Things were starting to come together. She knew some students may be harder to deal with then others, but that didn't stop her. She was ready to get things moving. The only thing that pulled at her mind was just how many more students Charles planned on brining her and who would be showing up next? No matter what, she couldn't wait.

**Next: Issue #26 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Five & Secret Mutants: Secret Genesis – Part Three**


	27. Morlock Massacre II Part Five

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #26 – Morlock Massacre II – Part Five **

_**Morlock Tunnels **_

"So where's the rest of your crew?" Sunspot asked as he looked from Modifier on one side of the tunnel to Black Tom and Justin Pierce on the other side of him.

"The White Witch went her own way and I could care less about where the imposter Game Master and her crew went," Justin Pierce said.

"When Modifier approached us on killing you, the price was right. Oh, and the money was nice too," Black Tom Cassidy laughed.

"Boy, for as righteous as you X-Men are, you sure have a lot of enemies," Modifier laughed as he eyed the solar powered mutant.

"You think you can take them all?" Bliss asked nervously.

"Oh yeah," Sunspot said hoping that she believed him more than he did.

Sunspot glanced down at Bliss who was kneeling over both Magma and Network. Magma had been blasted unconscious while Network had passed out after Modifier had sliced her hand off. He was hoping Magma would come too soon, but he wasn't sure about Network. She had been affected by Modifier's powers as her wound healed and she had gone still from convulsions. As of right now, Sunspot wasn't sure what had happened to her. If she lost her powers, been given a second mutation or had her current powers amp up. Time would tell and he wasn't sure that they had even that. Sunspot took a quick glance at his enemies and then glanced down the tunnel wondering what had happened to Sam.

"Finish him," Modifier said with a grin.

"My pleasure," Black Tom said as he waved his hands and plant roots came out of the ceiling and grabbed a hold of both Sunspot and Bliss, binding them tight.

"This is too easy," Pierce said as his hands became guns and he pointed them at the two bound figures.

Bliss closed her eyes as Pierce fired off rounds from his weapons. Bliss opened her eyes in confusion when she had felt heat instead of the embedding force of bullets. In front of her was a wall of magma that was protecting them from the gun fire. The magma had risen up to the ceiling and caused the roots to singe and lose their hold on her and Sunspot. Sunspot and Bliss landed back on the ground next to Magma, who was starting to sit up.

"About time you joined the party," Sunspot said as he sent a solar blast at Pierce knocking him backwards and stopping his firing at them.

"Sorry," Magma said as she got to her feet and sent the magma wall away from them and towards Black Tom.

"Why won't all of you just lie down and die," Black Tom said as he commanded foliage and roots to come down and help block the magma and allow him to move out of the way.

"I grow tired of this. Guess I'm only going to get the job done if I do it myself," Modifier said as he starting to move towards the mutants.

"Not on my watch. Sorry it took me so long to get back here after Modifier directed me upwards and I blasted a few miles up through the ground," Cannonball said as he came blasting back up the tunnel, hit Modifier and continued on past them and down the tunnel with Modifier in tow.

"Glad to have you back with us, Sam. Now let's take these jokers out," Sunspot said as he continued to send blasts at Pierce.

"We won't go so easily. I'll take every last one of you out," Pierce swore as he his from shifted to that of a cyborg, making him stronger and deadlier.

"I don't know about you, but I think the novelty of this is starting to wear thin," Black Tom said as he dodged more molten lava from Magma.

"We need to get Network back to the mansion and have her checked out," Magma said as she glanced at the young mutant lying on the ground near Bliss.

"The fact she's still breathing means she didn't overpower and die. She either lost her power or gained power in some way," Bliss said as she tapped the woman's face trying to revive her.

"Well, you'll never know now will you?" Pierce smirked as he brought his gun up and blew a hole in her chest.

"Bliss!" Magma shouted as she turned to see the Morlock drop to the ground, dead.

"Well, that's one less Morlock," Black Tom commented as he used the distraction to bring his wooden club up and project a blast through it and nail Magma in the head sending her to the ground.

"Amara," Sunspot said as he turned to see his teammate leaning against the wall, trying to keep conscious.

"You're compassion is your weakness," Pierce said as he used his cybernetic strength to punch Sunspot in the back and send him crashing into the wall next to Magma.

"Nice one," Black Tom said as he and Pierce stood next to each other and watched the two mutants try to gather their strength to stand.

"Well, this will be even a better one," Peirce said as he raised his arms, one flesh and one robotic but both hands becoming cybernetic guns and pointed them at Sunspot and Magma.

"Shoot them already," Black Tom said as he looked at the half man, half machine standing next to him.

"I can't. My guns won't respond," Piece said in frustration.

"That's because I told them not too," a voice said from behind them.

Pierce and Black Tom turned to see the young mutant known as Network standing behind them. Her black costume with matching eye mask complimented her long black hair. Her right arm was raised high while her left arm and stump dangled at her side. Her eyes sparked and glowed like a computer chip. She looked the same but also looked very different all at the same time. Black Tom moved his wooden club towards Network and began to call on his powers. Network called on her powers and forced Pierce's robotic arm to swing over and fire its gun at Black Tom.

"Blast it," Tom swore as he cupped his side. The shot only grazed him but was enough to make a gashing wound in his side.

"Looks like our girls got game," Sunspot said as he and Magma both made it to their feet.

"Help me out here, Tom. I can't control my body," Pierce pleaded over at his wounded partner.

"Forget that. I'm out of here," Black Tom Cassidy said as her called on his powers causing a bunch tree roots and wooden bark to break through the ceiling of the tunnel and wrap around his body, and what seemed like a merging of one, pulled Tom up causing him to vanish from site.

"Curse you!" Pierce swore after his escaping comrade.

"Time to deal with you," Network said as she raised her arm with the missing hand and touched it to the robotic hand of Pierce's that was attached to his arm of flesh.

Pierce screamed as the robotic hand seemed to rip right off of his arm and latch on and reform onto Sarah's stump. In a matter of seconds, Network had a brand new robotic hand on her left arm while Pierce was left with an arm dripping with blood from where his hand had once been. Network glanced down as she flexed her new hand and then looked Pierce in the eyes as she extended her robotic finger and touched a part of his chest that was made of machinery. The finger suddenly merged into the man's chest as her eyes flickered and he called out in pain.

"What are you doing to him?" Sunspot asked.

"Sarah, stop," Magma said as she found herself only being able to watch what was happening.

"I'm making his cybernetic parts penetrate and merge with any organic part of him that's left. Essentially, his living and vital organs now depend completely on his cybernetics," Network said as Peirce clearly looked more robotic than human now.

"Why would you do that to him?" Magma asked as Sunspot looked down the tunnel for a sign of Cannonball and Modifier.

"You forget, my powers allow me to tell computers and machinery what to do. With just a thought, I can tell his system to power off causing his cybernetic dependent heart and brain to fail, killing him instantly," Network said as her eyes flickered and Pierce's went out causing his body to drop to the ground, twitch a few times and then go still.

"I don't believe," Magma began to say when a blast went off and Modifier came flying past and hitting the ground a few feet from them.

"He's tough, but my blast shield seems to protect me from his claws," Cannonball said as he flew up and landed next to Sunspot.

"Your men are down, looks like you've lost you genetic freak," Sunspot said as the Modifier slowly made it to his feet.

"I've far from lost. I have massacred the Morlocks and destroyed their home. Even the very few that have survived can never go back. The time of the Morlocks has ended. I also got to test and see what my powers can really do and get a sense at what the best you so-called X-Men have to offer. Trust me, when we meet again, it will be the last and I will have put an end to the X-Men," Modifier laughed.

"You're twisted," Magma said as she had her powers ready for attack.

"We will put an end to you, Calvin," Cannonball said as he got ready to blast.

"Not today, Sam," Modifier said as he pressed a button on his belt causing a portal to open next to him as he stepped through it and vanished from sight along with the portal.

"Darn it," Sunspot swore as the villain got away.

"We'll get him next time. Now, anyone mind telling me what happened here?" Sam asked as he looked around at Bliss, Peirce and Network.

"There will be time for that later. We should be finding the others and getting home. Oh, and Magma, you might want to be on the safe side and get rid of that," Network said as she nodded towards Pierce and headed down the tunnel.

"She's got a point," Sunspot said as he followed after Network.

Sam glanced at Magma with concern as she shrugged back. Sam bent down and picked up Bliss's body and carried her down the tunnel. Magma quickly used her powers to open up the ground, engulf Pierce with lava and pull the empty shell back under the ground and seal it from behind. With Peirce gone for ever, Magma followed after Sam and the others, thinking about Modifier and Network and brushed off a sudden shiver. She always hated it when their victories didn't seem so glorious.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

_**Secret Genesis – Part Three**_

_**Muir Island ~ The Past**_

Mona leaned over the railing while she looked at the group of young mutants below her. It had been a couple months now since her first student, Anna Marie Adler, had arrived on the island. She had a total of nine students now and was pretty sure that this was all that she was getting. Especially since it had been a while since she had heard from Charles Xavier. When he had dropped off her ninth and final student, he said something about preparing them all for a major mission and to start training them and researching. Even if they weren't needed, he had special plans for them. Whatever they might be, Charles had gone silent and she didn't know any more. That really didn't matter to her though. She had things to do here.

All nine of her students have trained to better use their powers and work as a team. Some of them have even forged great friendships and what appeared to be crushes. She was glad at all the progress she had made in developing their powers and their unity as a team. It wasn't only that, but she had also made great strides in her mutant research. It almost seemed there was some kind of connection between them all and felt she was getting close to all kinds of discoveries. There was nothing that could compare to this and she hoped this would never end. She had a great new life here and a great group of kids.

Mona did find that she was closer to some than others. It was like little clicks formed within the group, but nothing that caused problems or setbacks for the group as a hole. Theresa, still slightly shy, had become great friends with Anna Marie and they both had formed a click with Mona and one other girl that had arrived with the final group of four students. She had long blond hair, was in her late teens and had quickly become one of Mona's best friends. She was the kind of person who got along with everyone and everyone liked her. Her name was Illyana Rasputin.

She had been the youngest of three siblings living in Russia. According to Charles, all three were mutants. The oldest, Mikhail discovered that he could manipulate matter and substances. He was a member of the Russian Federal Space Agency to help with space exploration. At the time he could only manipulate matter into energy using it as blasts or ripping open portals. During an experiment on a mission the shuttle exploded and he died. Both his siblings took it hard, especially Illyana who was very close to him and acted out in grief which triggered her new found powers.

Running out with her school mates, they had started drinking vodka. Illyana got drunk and a boy tried to take advantage of her. In fear, her powers manifested. Like her brother she could manipulate matter but it seemed she could only alter her own skin into an energy based substance that made her look almost demonish and gave her enhanced speed, agility and invulnerability. When she accidently did this, the boy jumped off her in pain from the energy and thought her a monster. In anger the boy and his friends went looking for the escaping monster.

The boys had her surrounded by the time they got to her home. Some threw stones but they exploded upon impact of her energy based skin. One boy got the courage and pounced on her and that was when Illyana manipulated the energy around her skin and the matter around her hands and, instead of energy blasts like her brother, she formed an energy sword that accidently took the kids arm off. Illyana screamed at what she had done. This scream had caused her parents and brother Piotr to come running out to see the bleeding boy, Illyana change back to normal and the other boys attack her.

Fearing for his sister's life, Piotr ran at the boys. This fear caused his powers to manifest too. Unlike his siblings, he could only manipulate matter of his own skin turning it into organic steel. With this great strength, he tore the boys off his sister, injuring some and killing others in the process. He picked up his severely beaten sister in his arms and walked back to his parents. They had great fear in their eyes and wanted nothing to do with their demon children. They were ready to cast out their children when Xavier had shown up.

Charles was already coming to investigate the mutant he detected when he came across the scene. Knowing the danger these two faced Xavier altered everyone's memories. He made everyone forget Illyana or the incident had ever existed. He then convinced Piotr to come back to the States to join his X-Men. He then brought Illyana to Mona with only memories of being an only child and that her powers had manifested in front of her parents and that they had called Xavier right away to come take her away. Once again, Mona was "convinced" not to reveal this past and that he had to do what he did to protect them both from being prosecuted as murderers and freaks.

Mona was amazed that someone as lovely and popular as that had come from that background. This background wasn't the only secret of hers. Being Illyana's best friend, Mona new her greatest secret. Even though she was flirting with the boys, she was secretly in love with one of the new mutants that had arrived around the time she had. Illyana was in love with Leyu Yoshida, the girl from Japan.

According to Charles, Leyu had fire-based powers. She could become living fire and then use that to fly and shoot fire blasts. Her powers had accidently manifested and caught her home on fire. While Charles was there visiting another mutant, he was approached by Leyu's parents to take her and train her. Having already met with his mutant, he decided Leyu would fit better with Mona's group. So he had brought the girl here and she had hit it off not only with Illyana but had become best friends with the fourth student who had arrived at the island.

The student that had arrived after Daken and Theresa was Amara Stevens. Charles had found her in Africa where she and her cousin were worshiped like goddesses. It appeared her cousin was the mutant he was checking into and was surprised to find Amara as well. It seemed that both cousins' moms had moved to the States and fell in love with white men. The only difference was that Amara's mom had come back Africa. Later, when Amara's cousin had been thought dead with her parents, her father had come to Africa to tell her mom and they fell in love again and had Amara. Years later, Amara's cousin, who hadn't died, came back to Africa where she and her cousin began to hang out. Charles had "convinced" them both to come back with him, but since Amara was younger, she agreed with Charles to join Mona's group of students.

Leyu had also caught Daken's heart. He would never admit it, but she was his weakness and tended to be more calm and civil around her. Those weren't the only two that had seemed to hit it off in the romance department. Theresa had fallen in love with one of the final boys to arrive to the island. Like her, Sam Connors was a quiet and laid back boy with shaggy brown hair and around the same age as her. Charles had found Sam in a foster home in California. He wasn't receiving the best care and attention, especially after they discovered he could generate an energy shield around his body. Charles had no problems convincing them to let Sam come with him. Mona always thought Sam might take a more leadership role with the team but that was filled by the last boy on the team.

Jason Whitecloud had been abandoned and taken in by a tribe in Arizona. When Charles had arrived he found the young man of sixteen, surviving on his own in the wilderness after his adopted parents had died years ago. After much debate and pride, Jason agreed to come to Muir Island. Mona was glad he had. He quickly showed leadership skills and fell into the roll quickly. Even Daken seemed to respect him and not argue with him too much. His super strength wasn't a bad asset either for him to have. All together, Mona couldn't' have been happier with the group Charles had given to her. Together, she knew that they could do great things.

"How's the training exercises going?" Mona asked as she finally went down and joined the eight mutants.

"Great. Everyone is working their hardest. Well, almost everyone," Jason said glancing at Daken.

"Good and I see Sam you are getting better at projecting your energy shield to include those touching you," Mona said as the boy blushed at the compliment.

"Yeah, he's getting real good," Theresa said as she smiled at Sam.

"Great, well it's getting late. I want everyone to go clean up. Supper will be ready soon. Don't be late," Mona said as she left the room.

"Now that she's gone, any more thoughts on what we've talked about?" Leyu asked.

"I think this is wrong talking about this without her knowledge," Jason said with crossed arms.

"I actually like the idea. I mean, we are a group of mutants training to use our powers. Why not act like a super team and have code names?" Anna asked the group.

"I don't know," Sam said.

"I'm not making up a code name," grumbled Daken.

"I really don't care about that, but the idea of leaving," Theresa added.

"I disagree. I'm getting tired of being cooped up in here. I say we explore what's outside this prison," Amara said.

"I'm all for that," Daken agreed.

"Then let's do it. We'll call ourselves the Secret Mutants and have code names and our first mission is to explore the island," Illyana said getting excited about the adventure.

"I don't know," Jason began to say.

"Come one, it'll be fun," Illyana winked at Jason.

"Fine, but I'm leader and you must follow my command," Jason said.

"Alright! Secret Mutants, assemble. We're busting out of here!" Illyana proclaimed as they all headed to dinner contemplating their codenames and their first mission.

**Next: Issue #27 – More Mutants the Merrier & Secret Mutants: Secret Genesis – Part Four**


	28. More Mutants the Merrier

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #27 – More Mutants the Merrier**

_**Xavier Institute**_

"Sam, they've got to go," Sunspot said as soon as the meeting had started.

"We can't just throw them out. They have no where else to go," Skids said in defense of the Morlocks.

Sam glanced over at Dani and sighed. They had sent Generation Next out on their first mission to check on a distress call from Callisto. They had no idea what they were going to find but they had thought it would be a minor first mission for the newly formed team. To their horror, it turned out to be much, much more. It had started when Generation Next's distress call came in and then their communications went dead.

Sam knew this couldn't be good and he personally gathered a few other seasoned pros and led them down into the Morlock Tunnels. They immediately discovered Black Tom, Justin Peirce and the revived Marauders had laid waste to the Morlocks and their home. The Morlock's home and major tunnels had been destroyed beyond rebuilding while the Morlocks themselves had been completely massacred. Only a couple dozen had survived the ordeal as well as a few hits to his own team.

Feral along with her sister Thornn had both been killed while several others had been banged up and pretty bruised. Siryn had been shot and looked pretty touch and go, but thanks to their mutant healers she was already back on her feet. It was a few others that had some life altering changes forces upon them from this grave massacre. Callisto, onetime leader of the Morlocks and often time ally of the X-Men had been stripped of her mutant powers. She was still deadly with a weapon, but was a normal as can be. All tests that were done show her to have never had the mutant gene.

Finally, two members of the Generation Next team had their genetics altered as well. Synch had been forced into a second mutation. His skin was now completely made of stone making him strong and almost invulnerable but also slowed him down and made it harder for him to move. Unlike Emma Frost, he could not revert back and forth. He was stuck in his stone form. The other member, Network ended up having her powers upgraded. She was no longer the nice, sometimes quiet fun loving girl; she was now something much more.

She had the powers to tell computers and machines what to do. Now, it was as if she was a computer herself. A little colder and slightly void of personality. It seemed that now, instead of telling machines what to do she could actually merge, interface and completely become one with any type of computer, network, machine, etc and make them do almost anything. She's even made Sage jealous and nervous. She had even lost her left hand in battle, but had used her new powers to pull machinery off Pierce and attach it to her own arm to recreate a fully functioning arm. She had become something more than human or mutant. What that was, remained to be seen.

The X-Men had struck back and had managed to score a few for the Morlocks. Justin Pierce and all but three of the Marauders had been killed. They had taken the three Marauders into custody but two of their foes had gotten away. Black Tom managed to escape as well as the one responsible for the entire Massacre. The whole massacre and recruitment of old X-Men foes had been orchestrated by one very powerful and genetically altered mutant. What made it even worse was that this mutant had once time been a member of the X-Men. This made it personal when something like this was the result of one of their own.

This major new villain had once been Calvin Rankin, the X-Man known as Mimic. He had been taken in by Sinister and genetically altered into the abomination now known as Modifier. According to Calvin, he had killed Sinister and donned his suit before taking on his quest of super villainy. It wasn't this whole massacre that made him such a threat; it was what he could now do that posed a very dangerous threat, not only to the X-Man and the world but to all of mutant kind. Mr. Sinister had made the perfect weapon.

Mimic had originally been able to change his own genetic code to copy up to five abilities at one time, mainly that of the original five X-Men. Sinister had taken that and twisted it into something far more. He no longer had his original five powers but had one genetic and twisted aspect of that power. From Summers, he could generate energy that could heal himself. From Grey he could create a tek shield around his body. From Worthington he could make his bones hollow and light giving him great speed and agility. He got his super strength from the genetics of McCoy and his resistance to all forms of heat and cold from Drake. Lastly, he had been fused with a gene code from Xavier giving him psi-blocks. Thankfully, he could only use one of these powers at a time. This want what made him dangerous, it was what sinister had done to his genetic code and powers that made him deadly to mutants.

Calvin could no longer alter his genetic code to copy others powers. Now, he could genetically alter the mutant gene in other mutants with one scratch from his genetically created claws. The effect could only work once on a mutant though. First time wound would close up and heal as the genetic code was modified while any wounds made after that or another time would simply be that, a wound. Calvin, Modifier, couldn't control how the gene was modified. It was like roulette. You never knew what would happen till it happened and it was totally random. Any one of four effects could and would take place.

The least dangerous but the most devastating to some was the loss of the genetic gene rendering the mutant completely human and powerless, like what it had done to Callisto and Bliss. The next was triggering a secondary mutation that had no basis on your current power. You could gain a second power or a physical change like Synch's skin becoming stone. The last two effects were the scariest that it amped up your current mutation to possible omega levels. While it did that, one of two results took place.

You were either able to control it and live like Network and Feral or your power consumed you and you died like Mole. Mole's powers were so great that he couldn't stop burrowing and it led him strait to the Earth's core and his death. To Sam and the others, that seemed minor. Imagine a mutant that had energy powers or magma powers. One could die by exploding while the other could take out the whole Earth and everyone on it. The other end wasn't as great either. Network was now more computer-like and Feral had become an actual savage and dangerous beast with no signs of human intellect. It was plain and simple; Modifier was dangerous and would have to be stopped.

"Sam, what do you think?" Dani asked bringing Sam back to the present.

"About what?" Sam asked as he looked at the staff assembled before him.

"Are you not paying attention?" Roberto demanded.

"We can't turn them out. Skids is right. They have no where to go and they would be easy pickings for Modifier," Xi'an said.

"Security would be tight but we could manage them, but the mansion does seem to be getting a tad crowded," Bishop said.

"Bishop's right, were fast running out of room here. Until we get them integrated with the others, we would have to give them their own area to stay in. Don't forget, even though Cable and his X-Force are out on their own missions, they are being allowed to keep rooms and the mansion as their home base," Dani and Amara said in agreement.

"Don't forget, despite where they come from, some of them do have potential dangerous powers, but also useful powers too," Rahne said as Skids chimed in with agreement.

"If trained right, I think some of them could become very good and potentially X-Men level recruits," Rictor added.

"But, can we control them here and is it wise for the safety of the students to allow them to live here?" Rouge asked.

"It was one of our own that took their home away from them," Rusty said in defense as Sally squeezed his arm form under the table.

"I can see and agree with all sides. As for their powers, we can't pick and chose who stays. I think if we make a decision it has to be offered for all of them. They either all stay or all go. Now if we do choose to allow them to stay, we can't force them to stay if they choose to go," Sam said as he wondered if this role and school was starting to get too big for him.

"There's no where out there for them to go to survive. They would have to fend for themselves and that could lead them to crime or even their deaths," Skids said.

"What about the Chicago branch of Morlocks that had setup home there in the sewers?" Sam asked.

"It appears that among the group of survivors that were brought in the first round teleported out by Hub were members of the Chicago community. According to Angel Dust, the Marauders laid waste to all off them there. Their leader Postman and four others made it out alive. They had gotten here just as Modifier and his band attacked. Postman was killed but the other four are alive and now here at the mansion with the others," Dani answered.

"It seems that Calvin made his rounds taking out all Morlock communities in the US before coming here to face the Morlocks and the home of the X-Men," Sage reported.

"This is horrible," Skids cried of her former home and family before the X-Men.

"What about that branch in London?" Roberto asked recalling records he had seen when he had once been in the Hellfire Court.

"They are gone as well. The ones surviving Mr. Clean and the Church of Humanity were hunted down and finished off by another unknown benefactor, I'm assuming Calvin. Only two made it out alive and to the tunnels here in New York and now a part of the group here at the mansion thanks to her mutant power. There are no other Morlock communities out there. Basically, all that's left of the Morlocks is under our roof," Sage reported once again.

"Then to send them out could indivertibly be finishing off the extinction of the Morlocks," Sam mumbled to himself.

"Keep in mind, with Callisto no longer having her powers they may not want to follow her anymore and as much as she is biding for it, we can't count on Marrow effectively leading them," Skids said.

"As much as he hate it or may not have the room, it might be better for all to keep them here where we can watch, help and train them," Dani added.

"Let's take a vote," Sam said with a sigh.

"Dani – Stay. Xi'an – Stay. Roberto – Leave. Rouge – Leave. Amara – Leave. Rahne – Stay. Rictor – Stay. Sally – Stay. Flashfire – Stay. Bishop – Leave. Siryn – Leave. Sage – Leave."

"Up to you, Sam," Dani said glancing at him.

"They will stay. I will talk to both Callisto and Marrow as well as the Morlocks and tell them of our decision. We will set ground rules and as always, Bishop and Rouge, the protection of the students will come first. Sage and Sally, I want a complete list of all Morlocks, what their names are and what they can do. Xi'an and Dani, I want emotional and psychological profiles on each of them. Talk to them and feel them out to get a good assessment on them.

"Amara and Rusty, you will check them out and give them any medical attention and physical therapy or training they may need to get them in good health and shape. Rahne and Rictor, I want you two to evaluate their powers so we can come up with training programs for them and the potential use of their powers. From the weakest learning basic self-defense to the strongest learning control of their powers.

"Lastly, Theresa and Roberto will help decide best placement for them within the school. I want evaluation and reports to me as soon as possible so that me and Dani can make a final plan and implement it. As always, we have to work together on this. We have more bodies to care for and a new major threat out there. The only way to survive and protect this school is to put on a strong and unified front," Sam said as everyone nodded despite their agreement or objection.

"Good, we are adjourned for now. Hopefully, we are done with houseguests and threats," Dani sighed with a smile.

"Sam, we have a problem," Mona said as she came barging in the door.

"What is going on?" Sam asked standing up.

"A woman by the name of Amelia Voght just came through the front door," Mona said.

"Voght? Bishop, take security measures. This woman is dangerous. Where is she now?" Dani asked as every jumped up ready for action.

"Sam, don't worry. She's with your mother and she doesn't look so dangerous. She looks to have been beaten to an inch of her life," Mona said as Sam blasted out of the room with the others right behind.

"Mom, get away from her," Sam said landing next to the two women.

"Sam, she needs medical attention," Lucinda said in disgust of her son's lack of compassion.

"I'm fine. Sam, I didn't know where else to go," Amelia said in slow breaths.

"What do you want woman and why are you here?" Dani asked as the others caught up.

"I have barely escaped with my life. A new Brotherhood has formed and I came here requesting sanctuary," Amelia said as she coughed.

"Brotherhood? I thought they all vanished with the other X-Men?" Xi'an asked quietly to Amara who shrugged.

"Yes, and they are more dangerous and this is the only place I will be safe," Amelia said.

"Why would we help you?" Sam asked.

"Because, Xavier is an old friend and you have already taken in, trained and looked after my son," Amelia said as she passed out.

"Her son?" Dani asked as she looked at Sam and then the others.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

_**Secret Genesis – Part Four**_

_**Muir Island ~ The Past**_

"What's bothering you?" Leyu asked as she walked into Illyana's room.

"I don't like the way you and Daken have been acting. I thought you were my girlfriend," Illyana said as she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Illyana, you are. I love you with all my heart. Daken and I are just real good friends," Leyu said as she sat down next to Illyana.

"I see how he looks at you. And don't think I don't see the affection you give back," Illyana pouted.

"Really now, you have to stop. It's no different then you always flirting with the boys," Leyu said taking her hand.

"There's a big difference. I'm just acting knowing my heart only belongs to you while yours seems to be slightly blurred with a real connection," Illyana said as she hesitated and then let her hand be taken.

"Illyana, it's hard having to hide my love, but I do it for you. A person has to openly feel love at times," Leyu said in a softer tone.

"Leyu, do know I love you and it pains me to hide it. I promise, I will make it clear that we are for real and forever," Illyana said squeezing Leyu's hand back.

"Oh, Illyana, you mean it?" Leyu began to say when a movement by the door caught her love's attention.

"Sam, hey there hot stuff," Illyana said ripping her hand away from Leyu and running up to Sam Connor.

"Am I interrupting something?" Sam asked puzzled.

"No, we were just discussing codenames. Right, Leyu?" Illyana smiled over her shoulder.

"Yeah, right. Nothing important," Leyu said as she moved past them and left the room.

"Cool. Mona told Jason that she is going into her research lab for a few hours and doesn't want to be disturbed. He promised her we would all go into the training room and leave her alone. It's being programmed to look like we are in there. This is the perfect time to go on our first mission and he wants everyone to meet in the rec room in ten minutes," Sam said as Illyana clapped following him out the room and not even seeing Leyu still standing outside the door.

"Boy, it looks could kill. Sam do something to upset you?" Daken said sneaking up behind her and startling her.

"Daken, I hate it when you do that. No, everything's just fine," Leyu said as she smiled at the rough but handsome teammate before her.

"Good, I would hate to see that pretty face upset. We better go, our leader is waiting for us and I still refuse to take a codename," Daken said as Leyu put her arm in his and followed.

"Now, we don't have much time to go out and get back without being caught," Jason Whitecloud said once all eight of them were accounted for in the meeting place.

"Just incase I took the material for our training suits and made actual costumes for us to wear so we are not recognized in the outside world," Anna Marie Adler said with excitement as she handed everyone an outfit.

Each person's costume was identical in design. Each suit had a two color pattern. The shirt and pants were one color while the boots, gloves, belt, eye mask and large "M" across the chest were all yellow for everyone. Anna's was green and yellow. Daken's was black and yellow. Theresa's was orange and yellow. Amara's was brown and yellow. Illyana's was silver and yellow. Leyu's was Red and yellow. Sam's was purple and yellow while Jason wore blue and yellow. The costumes were really neat and coordinated, but Anna and Illyana seemed to be the only ones truly excited in wearing them.

"Now, our code names. They are necessary to keep our identities secret and must be used at all times. Everyone must have one," Jason said glaring at Daken who rolled his eyes.

"I will go by Copy Cat since I copy people's powers," Anna Marie Adler said.

"If you must, call me Wild Child," Daken smiled.

"I like the name Sonic," Theresa Cassidy said.

"I'll be Lava Girl," Amara Stevens said.

"That's clever. Since my skin becomes energy-like and makes me look monstrous, I'll go by Demon Child," Illyana smirked at her cleverness.

"I don't know if I like that. I'll keep mine simple. Call me Fira," Leyu Yoshida said.

"I agree with keeping it simple. Call me Shield since I generate energy shields," Sam Connors said.

"Since I am leader and to honor my Native American heritage, call me Warpath," Jason Whitecloud said.

"This is so nuts," Daken mumbled under his breath causing Leyu to chuckle.

After a few minutes the Secret Mutants were in their new costumes and making their way outside. The moved quickly and made it to where the property started and the forest they had never been in or seen started. Warpath took lead while Wild Child brought up the rear. With both of their abilities, they would make sure they didn't walk into anything or have anything sneak up on them. They really didn't know what they were searching for, but for most it was an adventure outside the compound.

"This is a complete waste of time. I bet all there is out here are trees and plants," Sonic said as she began to get board.

"I'm starting to agree. I thought it would be fun but if all we're going to do is trudge through vegetation, I want to go back," Shield said as he glanced around.

"Wait, there's something over there," Wild Child said as he sniffed the air and darted.

"Wild Child," Warpath called after the mutant but was too late.

Everyone ran as fast as they could to keep up with the wild mutant. After a few minutes they had caught up to Wild Child, who was standing still looking through the trees. Warpath and the others approached him but he motioned for them to be quiet. They all moved closer and silently peered through the trees. They were shocked to see a large patch of grassy field in the middle of all the trees. That wasn't the shocking part; it was what they saw on the patch of grass. There, in the grassy field was a small boy, all alone, playing with a toy truck.

"What is a boy that young doing on this island all alone?" Fira whispered.

"I don't know. I wonder how he got here. Do you think Mona knows anything about him?" Demon Child asked.

"I think we should go back and tell Mona right away," Warpath said.

"We can't leave him out here," Copy Cat said.

"What if he's not alone," Shield suggested.

"I think," Sonic started to say when she lost her footing and fell forward.

"Who's there?" The boy asked as he jumped up and saw the woman laying on the ground and a bunch of other people stepping out of the trees wearing costumes and masks.

"Hi, don't be afraid. We're all friends here. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" Copy Cat asked as Shield helped Sonic up.

"I ran away from home," the little boy said as he stared intently at the eight mutants.

"Why did you do that?" Copy cat asked.

"Because I did something bad and now mom thinks I might be dangerous. I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident," the kid said with no emotion.

"Where is your mom now?" Warpath asked steeping up next to Copy Cat.

"She is back at the laboratory. I don't want to go back. She'll punish me and put me in a cage," the little boy said.

"It'll be okay. What is your name?" Copy Cat asked giving a concern look back to the others.

"My name is Kevin. Wanna play?" Kevin asked as he smirked and energy crackled around his eyes.

**Next: Issue #28 – Revelations & Secret Mutants: Secret Genesis – Part Five**


	29. Revelations

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #28 – Revelations**

_**Xavier Institute**_

"She's got to be crazy. Her son is here? She's got to be setting us up. Charles or Scott would have said something to someone," Dani said as she passed back in forth in Sam's office.

"You would think, but as we've been discovering, there's always secrets in this house," Sam said as he drummed his fingers on the top of his desk.

"She was pretty beat up and passed out immediately after she said her son was here. Her mind is stressed," Xi'an said as she glanced at the small group.

"For all we know she's done this to herself to help get her in here and us to believe her story. I say we toss her out," Roberto demanded.

"What if there is any truth to her story about her son being here?" Rahne asked.

"I have run a complete scan and cross check with all the students here and have not come up with any matches," Rouge said.

"That doesn't mean anything. If Charles meant to hide someone, I'm sure he put mental blocks and all to hide the kid's identity," Rictor added.

"I've done everything I can to heal her body. Bishop is watching over her till she wakes," Amara said.

"Is there a reason why Sally and Rusty are not here?" Xi'an asked.

"They are both tending to the Morlocks. They are needed there not here," Sam said as he looked at his main staff in the room.

"Sam?" Lucinda, Sam's mother said over the intercom.

"What is it, mom?" Sam asked back.

"Amelia is awake," Lucinda said.

"We'll be right there. Have Bishop move her to a more isolated and secure room," Sam said as the com went silent and they all headed out with great speed.

Sam arrived at the room Amelia was waiting in. He saw Bishop standing guard outside. Sam wasn't worried about Amelia causing trouble. Bishop could take her physically if need be and the room she was in sat right next to a little activity room where Leech was. Amelia, like any who would enter the room, would be rendered powerless. Sam turned to his staff.

"I don't want to overwhelm her so if you all could, please be patient and quiet," Sam said as many grumbled.

"I pose no danger. The power dampening isn't really necessary. I'm here to seek sanctuary and safety. Plus, I really am trying to start over and here I can do it and be with my son," Amelia said as he still felt stiff and sore.

"Starting over? I can believe that one," Roberto spat.

"Roberto!" Sam shouted, glaring at him with a killer look.

"Amelia, why don't you start with this so called New Brotherhood," Dani said getting everyone on track.

"Yes, tell us. Last we knew, Magneto and a majority of the Brotherhood have vanished into space and the slim few here on Earth pose no real threat," Rouge said as she thought of those like Blob.

"This Brotherhood is different. Their sole mission is to Kill Erik and anyone or thing associated to him. They have searched out and killed Mutant Force, Savage Land Mutates and for all I know, I am the last of the Acolytes," Amelia said as she saw she had gotten their attention.

"She's telling the truth. I've confirmed the assaults on the groups along with a police report that a secret base of Acolytes was found. Not pretty, especially what they did to Scanner," Sage said as she reported over the intercom from where she was in the mansion monitoring the room.

"Okay, tell us all you know," Sam said as Amelia began.

"…the leader is a woman that wears the same out fit as Magneto once did and calls herself Magnetrix. She also has a man named Pyra, a woman named Super Sabra, she has Astra and Lady Mastermind on her side as well as a new Crimson Commando and a woman named Aumente and a man named One-Eighty. As far as Magnetrix and the other's identities, I do not know. What I do know is that they bring great power and death," Amelia said as she concluded her tale. ***For more on the New Brotherhood see The New Brotherhood: Blood Ties limited series***

"Not only do we have Modifier out there but now this new Magneto wanna-be and her deadly Brotherhood to worry about," Rahne said.

"You think maybe we should pull Cable back in and have him focus his efforts on Magnetrix instead of finding Shadow Nova?" Dani asked Sam.

"I know she appeared to have been depowered, but we can't be too careful. We can handle this. We need to handle this. Don't need to call on Cable to bail us out," Sam said trying to stay calm.

"So, what's this about your child being here?" Dani asked.

"As you all may or may not be aware, but at one time I was on good terms with not only Erik but Charles as well. I was his nurse tending to his legs in Tibet and was then there during the friendship and Cerebro building between him and Erik," Amelia said.

"Yes, but you, like Erik, began to take different views and left him when he needed you with the formation of the X-Men and breaking his heart," Sage said over the com system.

"So you decided to take the path of evil and eventually side with Magneto," Rouge spat.

"Oh, and you have a lot of room to talk? Or have you forgotten your time with the Brotherhood and who your mom is?" Amelia said in defense.

"Why you," Rouge said getting to her feet as Rictor and Amara held her back.

"That's enough," Sam said as he looked back at Amelia.

"Your precious Charles isn't as innocent as he comes across. You all have him on such a high pedestal that you can't really see him. I had fallen in love with the man and had every intention of being with him. Then I discovered some things.

"At first, I thought he was developing a machine to hunt mutants but discovered that it was for finding mutants as he was one like me. It was what I found later that disturbed me and caused me to finally leave when the one called Cyclops came to the school.

"I found out about Sage and her placement into the Hellfire Club by Charles. Out of my love for him I never said a word. I also came across some files of other organizations or groups he was either looking into or already involved. I'm not sure because I didn't get a good look at them at risk of getting caught.

"Scott had arrived and he was calling for me and I had to get out of his room. Before I left I did see something on his computer screen. I glanced and saw that it was a communication with Moira about how their plan for mutant students was underway. He said he had Scott and that his brother Gabriel would be mind wiped and coming her way soon.

"This scared me and I decided that was the last straw. It appeared that Charles was up to more than just teaching students and defending mutant rights. As I went to leave, he had actually tried to use his powers on me to stay but stopped at the last minute. That's when I truly saw the type of man he was.

"I immediately went to Erik and into his arms. I stayed with him for a little bit till I saw he too was building a group of mutant followers. He wanted me by his side but I decided to go into hiding. In time I discovered I was pregnant and gave birth to my child and tried to raise him on my own," Amelia said.

"So, the student here at Xavier's is Magneto's child. No wonder Xavier would take him in," Dani said looking at Sam.

"Actually, I Never said that. The kid may not be Erik's," Amelia said.

"What?" Sam asked as they all turned back to the woman.

"You see, over the course of that time in hiding I ran into both Erik and Charles. I am ashamed to say that I had been sleeping with both of them. The child could belong to either of the two. I've never found out. When it came time for me to join the Acolytes, I thought it best Erik never now of my child and figured he would be safe with Charles.

"I went to Charles and asked him if he would care for him. I never said anything to him, but I think he sensed the child was his or Erik's and decided it was best to watch the child. He's been here ever since. Charles promised to undo it one day, but he said it was best if he changed the child's memories and take me out of them. So here I am," Amelia said as she began to cry.

Sam looked at everyone. He had never seen this side of this woman. Everything she said about Charles was easily validated by what they had discovered. With Dani's limited telepathy, he could tell she was thinking they really needed to crack those Xavier Secret Files. With a command he had Bishop bring a file of the students here at Xavier's so she could reveal her son. When that was done they would do a test to make sure they were genetically related. After that, Sam didn't know.

_**Epilogue**_

"So, one of the students here belong to either Charles or Erik," Bishop said as he came to a stop.

"Yes, but Sam and Dani have decided to handle this and they want it kept quiet till they determine if it's true or not. So only those two and Karma and Magma are in on it right now. They will let the rest of us know once all is confirmed," Rouge said with a little feeling of being offended.

"Well, you are still new to their little click and they don't totally trust me yet," Sage said.

"What about you?" Rouge asked the man standing next to her.

"They will never fully trust me since I have connections with the Hellfire Club and seemed to favor the Emma Frost," Sunspot chuckled.

"Well, that's something we all have in common, Miss Frost," Bishop said with a serious tone.

"So you know, I do not like Ms Frost and I won't do anything to hurt Sam or the others. Emma feels there is something Charles is hiding that we all need to find out which we are all aware of with the secret mutants and now Amelia's child. The main thing, and the reason she asked all of us to come on here is to find what is being hidden deep below the estate," Rouge said.

"I agree and none of us here want any harm to come to anyone. I just wish you could get Network's help," Bishop said.

"I thought about it, but Dani is getting suspicious of my snooping around and they've already requested her to do so with them and the Secret Files," Sage said.

"That's fine. We need to focus on what's hidden below the estate. From what Emma sensed and from what I vaguely recall from the future, it could spell major trouble," Bishop said.

"Then it's agreed. We focus our efforts on what's hidden below the estate," Sage said as they all agreed and then went their separate ways.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

_**Secret Genesis – Part Five**_

_**Muir Island ~ The Past**_

"I think the kid's a mutant too," Fira whispered to those closest to her.

"You think?" Daken teased as he eyed the little boy whose eyes crackled with energy.

"Kevin, are you a mutant?" Copy Cat asked.

"Mutant? What's that?" The boy asked.

"A person who's different. Sometimes they look different or have special talents," Copy Cat tried to explain.

"Talking is boring. Let's play," Kevin said.

"Let's go find your mommy first," Sonic said as she moved towards the kid.

"No, I don't want to. I want to play," the boy named Kevin said as he started a tantrum.

"This is ridiculous. He's just a boy," Wild Child said as he ran over and grabbed the child.

"You're not nice," Kevin said as energy crackled.

"What the?" Wild Child yelped as he noticed his feet had become part of the earth and he couldn't move.

"Kevin, that is enough!" Sonic began to shout at the boy.

"Don't yell at me," Kevin said as Sonic suddenly began to panic when her lips became sealed shut.

""Don't panic, we'll get him to fix this," Sam said as he hugged Theresa tight. "I think there's more to this kid than we think," Shield added as he moved towards the kid putting on his shield around his body.

"We can't harm him, he's just a scared boy," Copy Cat said.

"Yeah, but I can see why his mom wants to cage him," Demon Child added.

"Do you want to play with me?" Kevin asked as Sam moved closer to him.

"Yes I do, but you need to help my friends here first," Shield said as he knelt down next to the body making sure his shield fully surrounded him in protection.

"I don't think you want to play nice," Kevin said as he touched the energy shield and his eyes crackled.

"Sam!" Demon Child shouted as Sam's energy shield became cement, encasing the mutant in stone.

"He'll suffocate in there," Warpath said as he began to panic.

"Maybe I should cook the brat," Lava Girl said as she began to glow orange hot as she called on her powers.

"No, you're a mean ol' monster," Kevin cried as energy crackled around his body as Lava Girl transformed into a deformed monster.

"He's the monster. Look at him, his body looks like it is going on overdrive," Daken said swearing that he couldn't move and hated feeling helpless.

"That's it, this boy's getting a spanking," Fira said as she turned to fire.

"Fire bad," Kevin said as energy crackled around him and Fira turned into a big puddle of water.

"Help," Fira said in a bubbly voice.

"This has got to stop," Warpath moved at the kid.

"You like trucks?" Kevin asked as the truck in his hand began to change.

Suddenly the truck grew in size and formed a mouth with sharp teeth in front. Warpath tried to move but the truck opened its mouth and swallowed the mutant leader whole. The truck sat there and shook as they all could hear Warpath trying to get out. Taking a deep breath, Copy Cat knew what she had to do. She called on her powers and she moved closer to the boy.

"Listen, Kevin. We don't want to hurt you but you are hurting my friends. I promise, if you let them go we can all have fun," Copy Cat said.

"You have blue skin," Kevin said as he looked at the girl approaching him.

"Yes, like you we are all special. If you let us, we all can be good friends and play lots of games," Copy Cat said as she got right next to the boy.

"Promise?" Kevin asked reaching out his hand.

"Promise," Copy Cat said as she took his hand.

Suddenly her powers kicked in and a shock passed between the two. The boy stopped crackling and fell to the ground. Copy Cat checked and saw he was just unconscious. She stood up and saw that her body was beginning to crackle. She didn't know how much time she had so she had to work fast. Closing her eyes she concentrated as she pushed out with her new powers. In a crackling flash, Sam was free, Amara was human again, Leyu reverted to flesh, Daken had his feet back while Theresa's mouth returned and Jason was standing next to a small truck. Everything was back to normal and Anna had done it.

"Good work, girl," Demon Child said.

"This power, it's too much. It hurts," Copy Cat suddenly began to scream as the power began to build within her.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Shield asked.

"I can't control it. I fell like the power is eating at my body," Copy Cat said as her whole body began to crackle with energy.

"Let me try something," Demon Child said as she called on her powers.

Demon Child transformed her skin into energy taking on her monstrous energy looking form. She then concentrated and created a sword made of energy in her right hand. She then cupped the sword with both hands and swung it at Copy Cat. Anna screamed as the sword passed right through her as it appeared to rip the energy right from her. Anna gave one final scream and then fell to the ground as the power from Kevin vanished. Demon Child released the sword as it vanished and she reverted back to normal. Warpath ran to Copy Cat and scooped her up in his arms.

"She'll be fine," Warpath sighed.

"Kevin, where are you?" A voice suddenly shouted form the other side of the trees followed by sounds of a vehicle of sorts.

"That must be his mother," Lava Girl said.

"Should we stay?" Daken said as he looked toward the sound of the calling woman.

"No, I think we need to get back. What if she's worse than this kid?" Sam questioned.

"I agree. We don't want to get caught out here. Let's head back and then we can vote whether to tell Mona and let her decide what to do about the boy and hi smother," Warpath said as they all quickly dashed back into the trees.

They moved quick and soon made it back to their home. Even though the run in with the little boy had turned scary and very dangerous, they had all felt excited and energized from the adventure. They all knew that if they trained harder as a team they really could become a group of super heroes. There was nothing in this world that could stop them. There was nothing they feared.

"Where the heck have all of you been?" Moira asked as they all came to a screeching halt to the woman blocking their entrance into the building.

"We, um," Warpath began to stutter.

"What happened to Anna? And, what are you all wearing?" Mona asked with anger and concern as she moved towards Warpath.

"You see," Sam began to explain.

"Enough! Everyone inside now and out of those outfits. Jason, bring Anna to the med lab so I can look her over. I want everyone assembled in ten minutes and I want to hear everything," Mona said as she stormed back into the building with her kids following right behind her.

**Next: Issue #29 – The X-Files & Secret Mutants: Secret Genesis – Part Six**


	30. The X Files

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #29 – The X-Files**

_**Xavier Institute**_

"So it's true?" Sam asked as he looked from Dani to Xi'an and finally to Amara.

"Yes, he's her son. We ran medical exams and tests. His is a match with Amelia's. She was telling the truth," Amara said.

"Wow, to think all these years a student walking the halls of Xavier's was the son of Amelia and either Charles or Erik and no one had a clue," Dani commented with great excitement and concern.

"What I want to know is which one of them is the father. Was Charles taking in and hiding his own son from everyone so he could guide him and not risk the same fate that happened with his other son, David or was he taking in his greatest enemy's son for the boy's protection or to use against Magneto in some plot? I mean, from what we've been learning about Charles, he's capable of anything," Sam said as he got up and paced.

"Unless we have DNA from both Charles and Erik I don't know how we can determine the father," Amara said.

"What about a psi scan?" Sam asked.

"Nothing there that either of our powers can find on a basic scan. Now I did bring in the Cuckoos since they have proven to Charles, Emma and Scott that they can be discrete and trusted," Xi'an said.

"It seems that Charles really put on the protection and blocks. It seems that there is a mental shield that makes anyone that mentally probes the boy to pull away thinking that there is nothing there to find and to not think of it again," Dani said.

"We would have missed it, but with all our powers joined and really digging we found a speck and then focused on it. The shields really fought us but it's there, a mental door with a lock. We could get some more telepaths and put all focus on breaking it but there is a chance that the boy or any of us could be damaged in the process," Xi'an said.

"And the question, does it do more harm leaving things as is and try and explain things to him or make him remember everything as well as his family was all a bunch of made up lies planted into his mind?" Dani added.

"Probably better to tell the boy he was adopted and allowing him to hold on to those fake memories and then reveal who is real parents are. Once again, we are being forced to play the games those before us have, but it's probably for the best," Sam said hating how easy it was to do what they hated Charles and others have done.

"So you think we should actually tell him and let Amelia see him?" Amara asked in shock.

"Yes. There's nothing worse then having family out there that you don't now about that is kept from you," Sam sighed as Dani put her hand on his shoulder. She knew his pain and what he was feeling. The Guthrie's were a family he had been "inserted" into and somewhere out there was his real parents and family.

"What about wanting to know who is father is? What do we tell him?" Xi'an asked.

"Nothing for now. Let's just start with reuniting him with his mother. Amelia understands if she is to receive sanctuary here and have us continue to protect her son she will follow our rules and leadership. Amara, make it clear to her for now we go with the adoption thing and will not try and remove the blocks and that for now she does not know who the father is but we in time will help him find out if he so chooses," Sam said.

"Don't worry, I will be in there the whole time to keep an eye on her," Amara said.

"Also, Xi'an, you will take on a strong counseling role with him. Help him in any way you can and let us know how we can help if needed. As far as this getting out, we will allow him to decide of he wants anyone to know he is adopted but the possible fathers will be kept quiet for now," Dani said.

"I understand. Do you think Rouge will be upset since he is in her squad?" Xi'an asked.

"She, along with everyone else will know the identity when and if the time comes. Just us here will know about this for now. My mother is bringing Skywalker to a private and secure room to meet Amelia without any reason why to either of them," Sam said.

"Good luck and keep us updated on everything," Dani said as Amara and Xi'an quickly left the room.

"Sam, I just can't believe how the secrets just keep coming and coming around here," Dani sighed as they were now alone.

"Speaking of, Network has been working hard. It's time to join her and see what other secrets we can find in Xavier's files," Sam said as he and Dani got up and headed to a secure room in the lower levels of the mansion.

_**Interlude**_

"What are you up to?" Sunspot asked as he came up behind Rouge.

"Sage said she detected a momentary glitch down here and I thought I'd come check it out," Rouge said as she turned to face the man behind her.

"As much as I'm apart of this group, I have to admit that I don't think there's anything down here," Sunspot said as he walked with Rouge down a tunnel way.

"What makes you say that?" Rouge asked as they entered the room given to her from Sage's instructions.

"All this down here is rebuilt. When the beam of fire shot up it destroyed everything. If there was something down here it would be gone," Sunspot said.

"No, Sage said she got something right here," Rouge said touching the wall. "Right behind this wall is solid earth that wasn't touched by the beams edge."

"Sage is crazy then. If what's behind this wall wasn't touched by the beam and its solid earth then how?" Sunspot began to ask when Rouge put her cheek against the wall and then screamed in pain.

Rouge gained control as her eyes began to glow. She had somehow copied a power. It felt weird since her reconversion from a Horseman had wiped her pallet clean. With a big push the wall ripped away from the side and instead of revealing dirt, revealed a glowing portal. She could heat Roberto gasp as within the portal a door with a lock and giant "X" on it could be seen. Rouge moved towards the door and tried to use her new powers to open it.

"Charles, what are you hiding?" Rouge asked as a sudden feedback of power sent her backwards into Sunspot's arms. As she blacked out, the portal vanished leaving only solid earth behind the wall.

_**Secure Computer Room – Xavier's Mansion **_

"Not even Sage has access to this room and its contents?" Dani asked she closed the door behind her and Sam.

"Nope, not even Emma knows this room. Scott calls it his quiet room. It's a place to think and plan without influence of prying eyes or minds," Sam said as he took a seat next to the mutant staring at a computer screen.

"Are you sure you want to keep Sage out of the loop? She did give us the discs," Dani said.

"She only found that information because she was snooping to begin with. My gut tells me that she knows more than she's letting on and that she's up to something. I'd rather keep her where I can keep an eye on her and if she finds something before us, then I can step in to take over," Sam said with a smile.

"Whatever you say, Sam. How are you doing, Sarah?" Dani asked as she smiled at Sam.

"You can call me Network," Sarah said as she kept her face forward and stared at a black screen with scrolling numbers.

"Have you been able to pull anything from the Xavier Files?" Dani asked as she took the seat on the other side of the young mutant.

"As much as it fought me, I made it obey me. Shi'ar technology can be a bit tougher and stubborn to break. I have done it and have been waiting for you," Network said as Sam nodded.

Network placed her left hand on the computer console as it seemed to shift and merge with the computer itself. Her eyes glowed bright as her irises were replaced with what looked lick flickering computer wires. The computer screen began to shift through millions of images in less than second intervals. Sam had never seen anything like it. No wonder Sage hated the girl. Dani actually was more terrified at what this shy pleasant girl had turned into. Could she really be glad at the asset they had received at the cost of another mutant child's innocence? Dani sighed as he watched and listened to Network.

"Have you come up with anything new on files one, two and four?" Sam asked.

"File four, prisoners in the subbasement was just a list. File one, The Xavier Protocols is simply a database on all mutants and I have already updated to reflect the new ones out there, including the Secret Mutants in file two. Everything in there is almost the same as Mona's disc," Network said.

"Almost?" Dani asked.

"Mona's was more detailed. Xavier's file mainly had the team thought dead and nothing about your secret team. I tried to gain more on them, but when Moira inserted you all into new lives it changed your past's info in the database as well, but I've updated it all to reflect all new data. But I did find one thing," Network said.

"What is that?" Sam asked.

"When crossing the database with your first name and then your other life's last name, Connors, I found one common reference. It's an address," Network said as a piece of paper printed out and Sam picked it up.

"Sam, do you know the address? Network?" Dani asked looking at the two.

"No, not at all, but I'll check into it," Sam said giving a questionable look to the young mutant.

"I know nothing else. Shall we move on?" Network said as Dani could swear she saw a momentary smirk.

"Yes, let's do that," Sam said as he put his attention back to Network.

"File three is protected by magic. No matter what I do I can't open it. Here are the names associated with the file, Illuminati: Charles Xavier, Reed Richards, Tony Stark, Stephan Strange, Namor, Black Bolt and Daiman Hellstrom," Network reported.

"Looks like Strange can do more than open this file," Dani said as Sam nodded.

"This has got to be big. Just look at the names. With every answer there are more questions," Sam said as he nodded for Network to continue.

"Now, the Underground Xavier had out there has been ended after he left the mansion to Scott. It is possible what few agents out there still report to him but Scott has taken up that mantle with X-Strike. It's a team, some of them Xavier's agents, that he put together to do what his mentor did. Handle situations secretly and fiercely. The names of that team are all I could retrieve, as for what they did there is no record," Network said as she burned off a disc labeled X-Strike and gave it to Dani.

"It's best we save this for later, unless you have plans to follow up on them?" Dani asked looking at Sam.

"No, not right now. We have our own teams here and we will do them the right way. Same with the sanctioned Underground units. I already know that Cable was pushed towards us by Xavier so he could keep an eye on us if he couldn't control us," Sam said referring to what he had read on the files.

"What about the rest of these the groups listed here? He was funding the Mutant Liberation Front, he fronted the money for the Massachusetts Academy until it closed down, and we know about X-Corp…" Dani asked as she read off the names.

"He only funded the MLF until Strife took them the wrong direction but you know all that," Sam said glaring briefly at Dani who had been recruited at one time to appear to deflect and join the MLF as a spy. "The only one that really sparks and interest is the transaction between him and Weapon Plus."

"You don't think it was no coincidence that he recruited Wolverine, do you?" Dani asked in surprise at the connection.

"There is nothing further here. There is a link connecting it to the last inaccessible files," Network said.

"What about those last four files?" Sam asked.

"I am working on them and they are very dangerously protected. While I work I can tell you about files seven and eight," Network said.

"The Phoenix and Project Hellfire," Dani named the files.

"The only additional information I got was that Scott noted that when Jean died, there was no body. He had it look like there was a body and buried an empty coffin. He knows the phoenix force is still around and maybe Jean's spirit floating somewhere but he doesn't know where it is or Jean's body. Anything else shows a link to File Twelve," Network said.

"So Jean might still be alive," Sam said now really wanting to know what was in that Special Room.

"Without the risk of alerting alarms or firewalls, I did confirm that Frost was in contact with the Hellfire Club but for what reason I do not have or unable to get that information," Network said.

"I just know she's up to no good," Dani said.

"Doesn't matter. She is no longer in control here and we will find her planted spy. What about the last four files?" Sam asked.

"I," Network began as a surge of power made her scream and disconnect form the computer.

"Sarah," Dani and Sam called out.

"I'm fine. What ever was protecting those files had a secondary virus. It wiped out my memory of everything I saw in those last four files. It would have gotten to my mind but I broke loose in time. I was able to recall three things though," Network said as she began to appear more human.

"What is that?" Sam asked.

"Xavier had encoded the data base making it look like Skywalker's powers were psi based when they are really magnetic in nature, I know where the Special Room is located in the mansion but not what's in it and lastly, I know what Lilandro is," Network said.

"What is Lilandro?" Sam asked.

"Not what, but who. Lilandro is the son of Charles Xavier and Lilandra of the Shi'ar," Network said as Dani gasped loudly while Sam leaned back with the hand on his head.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

_**Secret Genesis – **_**Part Six**

_**Muir Island ~ The Past**_

"I can't believe this," Mona said as she sat alone in her computer.

Charles had brought her here to train and study these mutant kids. Instead of being their teacher and mentor, she had ended up becoming more of a friend and look what happened. They made costumes and traveled out into the island. How could she have been so careless? What if they had been hurt or worse? What would she have said to Charles? Sighing deeply she tried to calm herself. She was so angry that she had confined them all to their rooms after they told her they had just gone out and nothing happened. They said they saw no one and no one saw them. For some reason she thought they were lying to her.

For now she would let it go. Once she calmed down she would talk to them again and go over things more carefully. She was about to get up when a strange beeping came form her computer. She looked over and saw an incoming transmission. She knew it had to be Charles. He had found out about what had happened and he was calling to scold her. Mona took a deep breath and hit the button. She looked up and gasped when the face on the screen was not of a man with no hair. Instead it was a woman that looked very familiar.

"Who are you?" The lady asked.

"I am Mona. Who are you?" Mona asked.

"I am Moira MacTaggert. According to this reading you are on this Island. Charles told me I was the only one on it," Moira said.

"Charles, you know Charles?" Mona asked as suddenly a pulsing wave hit both of the women causing them to grab their heads in pain.

"Oh my God. Mona, my sister," Moira cried as the mental blocks vanished and giving her back all her memories.

"Moira? What did Charles do to me?" Moira asked as she fell to the ground crying as all her memories rushing back proved to be too much for her.

"Mona, I've locked onto your position. Don't do anything, just stay right there. I'm on my way," Mona said as her imaged vanished.

Mona sat there trying to gain control again. Why would Charles erase any memory of her sister? She didn't know what to think anymore. Was she really here to help these students or was there another agenda behind all this? Then it hit her. Charles had been lying to her and changing the student's memories as well. She could feel the pushes now where Xavier made it too easy for her not to question anything and just do as she was told. Now she was in deep fear, not for herself but for the kids here. Charles was evil and he had bad plans for these kids.

"Mona, I'm here," Moira said as she ran up to her, hugging her while swearing Charles's name.

"Why would he do this?" Mona asked in tears that began to fuel with anger.

"This is the last straw," Moira said as she sat down and the two sisters swapped stories.

"I don't believe this. This man assembles a team and they get captured. He then pulls your team, the siblings of his team and they are killed and he wipes anyone's knowledge that they existed. He then uses you get give him the location of another group of mutants that he recruits while sending their family my way to train as what, another force if this third team fails?" Mona began to shout in anger.

"I've known the man a long time and can handle him. We need to act fast before he comes back here. We need to send these kids back to their families. They are no longer safe here," Moira said as she began to pace.

"I have no idea where their families are and even if we found them, how do we keep Charles from finding them again?" Mona asked.

"I, like you am a mutant. Where you can teleport people from place to place, I can teleport people from lives to lives. I have never used it and have kept it hidden. This will be tricky but you must take these files and go into hiding. If Charles ever finds you all this will be undone," Moira said as she called on her powers and merged them with her sisters.

In a flash Mona was gone and she found herself inside a large cabin with monitors. She could see her sister and everything that was going on. She looked down and saw that in her hands was a bunch of discs and files. She hated this but knew that staying here in hiding was her best bet and from this day on her mission would be to look after and try and protect her friends. She sat down and watched as her sister continued to act.

"What's going on in here?" Daken asked as he and the rest of the students came charging in.

"Are you okay, Moira? Are you still mad at our adventure outside?" Jason Whitecloud asked at his teacher.

"No, I'm fine. An emergency has come up and I have to act fast and I don't have time to explained," Moira said as she remembered what she had to do to these children like she had done to…she shook her head. She couldn't remember who she had already used her powers on.

"What are you talking about?" Daken asked as he suddenly felt a weird sensation and vanished.

"Whoa, I just had the weirdest sensation that someone had been standing here and is now gone," Fira said scratching her head.

"Come off it. You know that there is only eigh..seven of us in this room," Theresa began to say, paused and then refinished as Amara Stevens vanished from sight.

"I've got to hurry. Theresa come here," Moira said as she tried to control the pain and stress of using her powers like this.

"Why?" Theresa asked as she looked over at the door.

"Because, it's time to eat," Thomas Cassidy said as he popped his head into his little niece's room.

"Something strange is going on here," Leyu said looking at Moira and then shook her head and saw she was in her bedroom.

"There is nothing strange. Now get dressed, you are meeting your half brother today," Leyu's servant said to her.

"I'm coming," the young Leyu said in Japanese as she hurried up and got dressed.

"Do you think we'll ever get any more students here besides the four of us?" Jason Whitecloud asked Moira as she touched her temple and squinted.

"Jason Proudstar, quick day dreaming. The tribe is waiting on you," John, Jason's brother said as he patted him on the back.

"Sorry, not sure where my mind went," Jason said as she followed along with his brother.

"I have no idea how well I'm doing but I've no choice but to do these quicker and not as focused," Moira mumbled as she could feel time was growing short.

"What is going on, Moira. You don't look well," Anna asked as she glanced at her two classmates.

"Time to go back to your new old life," Moira said as she pushed with her powers.

"What did you say?" Anna asked.

"I said, Cody is here to see you," Anna's mom called up from downstairs.

"Thanks, mom," Anna smiled as she looked in the mirror at her clear pale skin and fixed her hair.

"I am growing tired," Moira said as she realized she only had one student in the room with her. "I hope you go to a good place like the others, Sam Connors."

"Sam Guthrie, get the wax out your ears. Been callin' for you the last ten minutes. Your father needs your help. Don't keep him waiting," Lucinda Guthrie called out to her eldest son.

"Sorry mom," Sam smiled as she rushed passed his brothers and sisters and went out the front door.

"There, now one more," Moira said as she closed her eyes.

"Moira, you okay?" Charles Xavier said over the computer monitor.

"Yes, Charles, I'm fine. Must have dozed off," Moira said as she rubbed her eyes as she looked around her lab and then back at the face of Charles Xavier.

"You know I worry about you there all by yourself," Charles said.

"I'm fine. Nothing exciting going on here," Moira said as she had no idea that she had a sister watching her from a cabin with tears in her eyes.

_**The Present**_

"There you have it. If you don't believe me ask Sam and the others," Mona said completing her tale.

"I don't know what to say. It's so far fetched but yet I can feel the truth to it all. What do we do now?" Sunpyre asked.

"We get our team, families and lives back, starting with Daken," Illyana said as the two looked over to see the blond mutant sitting up awake, very coherent and grinning.

**Next: Issue #30 – Behind Hidden Doors & Secret Mutants: Search for Daken – Part One**


	31. Behind Hidden Doors

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #30 – Behind Hidden Doors**

_**Xavier Institute**_

_**Secure Computer Room – Xavier's Mansion **_

"So, Xavier could have two more sons?" Dani asked as she looked at Sam and Network.

"Actually, one. With the new data about Skywalker I've rerun some of the tests against the data we originally had and I am ninety-seven percent positive that Amelia's son belongs to Erik Lehnsherr the mutant codenamed Magneto," Network said.

"This is too weird," Sam said trying to wrap his head around everything.

"It makes since why Xavier told us to think Lilandro to take care of any financial or major problems. His son must be telepathic too and when his name is thought it triggers a psychic trigger and he then knows what is needed and responds accordingly," Dani said.

"That's great and all and I guess keeping his son private is his right, but where is he and what is he doing? I mean, from what I've come to know, Lilandra doesn't seem the type to abandon her son on Earth," Sam said.

"Maybe we don't know the circumstances? Maybe Charles has his reasons for," Dani began to say.

"Why are you always defending him?" Sam interrupted with a twinge of frustration in his voice.

"I'm not, I can't help it. Sam, you forget the man is like a father us, to all of us. No matter his secrets or agendas, he found us all, took us in and did his best to train and protect us. That's got to count for something," Dani said.

"Dani, I'm sorry. I think all this stuff with Xavier and being the burden keeper of his secrets is getting to me," Sam said as he walked over to Dani.

"Sam, it's not just your burden. I'm here with you for everything," Dani smiled as she looked into his eyes.

"If I am no longer needed I would like to go," Network said as she got up.

"Sure, thanks and remember," Sam began to say.

"Not to reveal anything that was seen or discussed behind these walls," Network finished as she left the room.

"So, what do we do now?" Dani asked looking back at Sam.

"I think we let things cool for a bit. We can worry about the rest of the files later. As far as Emma, she's not here right now so not much we can do about that. And for the secret room, according to the screen here, it's located in a spot that was destroyed by the beam of fire and only Earth remains," Sam said as he pulled up the map of the basement on the computer screen.

"So, what ever was being hidden there is gone," Dani said as she touched Sam's shoulder.

"Yes, I believe so. For now, I think we just keep running this place our way and we can deal with the rest when Xavier and the X-Men return," Sam said as he turned around and began to lean into Dani's lips.

"I think that may be a good idea," Dani responded as she leaned in to suddenly jerk back as an alert went off on Sam's communicator.

"Hey, Sam, hope I'm not interrupting anything," came Mona's voice.

"Um, no, is something wrong?" Sam asked as he looked away from Dani and blushing.

"Illyana has woken up and I think you should come down here," Mona said.

"Sure, we'll be down shortly," Sam said as he and Dani smiled at the good news and headed out of the room.

_**Private Room on the West Side of the Mansion**_

"Am I in some kind of trouble?" The mutant known as Skywalker asked as he followed Amara and Xi'an into a room.

"No, not at all, Jarrod. We have something to tell you and someone we would like you to meet," Amara said as she closed the door behind them.

Jarrod looked and saw an older woman with red hair sitting on the couch. She had a bandage on her head and looked like she had been in some kind of accident. As rough as she looked, the minute she looked up at him her face and smile lit up the room. He wondered was going on and something about the way she was looking at him was starting to make him feel a tad but uncomfortable. He knew something was up and it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Oh, Jarrod," Amelia cried when she saw her son walk in.

"Do I know you?" Jarrod asked.

"Sit down, Jarrod. We have something to tell you and it's not going to be easy," Xi'an said as she took a seat next to the young mutant on a sofa across from Amelia.

"First of all, let me introduce you. This is Amelia Voght," Amara said taking a stand next to Amelia and watching her closely.

"Amelia Voght? You mean the Acolyte and follower of Magneto?" Jarrod said in panic as he recalled his lessons on X-Men foes.

"Actually, I haven't' been associated with either in a very long time. I've actually been trying to start over and lead a normal life, until," Amelia explained and then trailed off into silence.

"That is true, Jarrod and she is not here to harm you or any of us. I'll make sure of that," Amara said.

"Then why is she here? Why am I here?" Jarrod asked with great confusion.

"First, Amelia is here seeking sanctuary here because a new Brotherhood has formed and tried to kill her," Xi'an said.

"I barely made it out of there alive," Amelia said softly, keeping her eyes on her son.

"Why were they trying to kill you?" Jarrod asked.

"That's not important. What's important is that she is safe here," Amara said.

"I don't get it. Why would one of Xavier's enemies come here and think we would protect her?" Jarrod asked looking at both staff members.

"Believe it or not, at one time I used to be friends and more with Charles. Sometimes people have different opinions and can cause them to go their separate ways," Amelia began.

"Okay, but that still doesn't tell me what this has all got to do with me," Jarrod said.

"Jarrod, I'm sorry to tell you this, but we've recently learned that the Walkers are not your parents. You were adopted," Xi'an said as she took the boy's hand.

"Adopted? I…er…don't know what to say. I mean, I always felt that there wasn't a connection to them but thought that was due to my mutant powers," Jarrod said trying to hold back the tears.

"Oh Jarrod, I don't know an easy way to say this," Xi'an continued.

"I think I know. She's here because she's," Jarrod began to say staring at the woman with red hair.

"Your mother, Jarrod, I'm your mother," Amelia said as tears started to flow.

"I, what about my father?" Jarrod asked as he tried to control his emotions.

"I don't know who your father is," Amelia said knowing it was partially true. "The only reason I gave you up was because my life was too dangerous and knew you would be safer here."

"If you would like, we can keep this all between us in here. We won't tell anyone else until you say its okay," Xi'an said.

"I," Jarrod began to say when Amara's comm. badge signaled.

"Amara, this is Mona. Illyana has woken up and she's requested you down here in the med lab," Mona said.

"I'll be right down," Amara said looking at Xi'an in excitement of their old friend's recovery.

"You two can go. I promise I won't do anything. I'd never hurt my son," Amelia said.

"I don't know," Xi'an said wanting to see her friend but knew she shouldn't leave the two alone.

"It's okay. I would like some time to myself anyway," Jarrod said as he left the room and Amelia began to cry.

"Don't worry, Amelia. He just needs some time to think and figure out what all his questions are," Xi'an said as she and Amara left the former Acolyte alone to herself and tears.

_**Basement**_

"This is where we found it," Sunspot said as Sage and Bishop arrived.

"I'm not getting any readings," Sage said looking at the hole in the wall the revealed nothing but solid Earth.

"It was there, a portal with a hidden door," Rouge said still feeling weak.

"Are you sure?" Bishop asked as he searched and picked at the Earthly wall.

"It was there. Rouge touched it and suddenly her powers flared and a portal opened up and there was a large metal door with an "X" on it inside of it," Sunspot said.

"This is where the file said the room was located and I am picking up very faint traces of psychic residue," Sage said.

"Well it's got to exist. One of the reasons I agreed to this secret group of Emma's was because there were rumors of Xavier having a secret room that held something of great power that many died trying to search for," Bishop said as he turned to stare at the others.

"If only Emma was here," Sunspot said knowing the reason he was on this team was because he was suppose to be Emma's eye's and ears until she returned.

"We could pull the Cuckoos in on this," Rouge suggested.

"No, Emma didn't want to involve them. After their sisters deaths they seemed to drift more towards Scott and now show undying loyalty to Sam now that he's taken over their squad. There's no guarantee they will keep this secret," Sage said.

"There is a reason we are all here. Because Emma sensed that what we might discover could be too big or too dangerous to make known to everyone. Sage, Xavier's right hand, I, the police of right from the future and Sunspot, Emma's right hand and Rouge, the mutant with the ability that may be needed," Bishop said as they all nodded.

"Yeah," Rouge signed as she still wasn't sure about this. Emma had come to her saying that she needed her help because her ability alone would be useful in finding and or containing what they might find. She realized this when she opened the portal and then thought that if there was some kind of power behind that door, her duplicating it's power might be the only thing to save them all from what they may unleash.

"Rouge?" Mona's voice came from over her communicator badge.

"Yes?" Rouge asked as she looked at the others with caution.

"Illyana has woken up and I was wondering if you could head up here?" Mona asked as Rouge agreed to come.

"I don't know why they need me?" Rouge rolled her eyes.

"Maybe because you are part of the Secret Mutants group of hers," Sunspot mocked.

"Whatever," Rouge said as she started to head for the door.

"I'll go to, see how Illyana is doing," Sunspot said as he followed after.

"There gone," Sage said.

"Why did you lie and say you didn't pick anything up?" Bishop asked.

"Because my gut tells me that one of those two can't be trusted," Sage said as she pulled out a device and shoots a beam at the wall of earth.

"I think agree," Bishop said as he sent a blast of his powers into the device.

"I'm getting something thanks to Rouge's initial contact," Sage said.

To their surprise the beam got wider until a portal parted and revealed the door with the "X" on it. Bishop began to smile when something unexpected happened. The "X" on the door lashed out as one end of the "X" grabbed each of the mutants. Before they could react or scream, the "X" pulled them both into the door and then vanished through it. The portal then closed leaving nothing behind but the wall made of earth.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Search for Daken – Part One**

_**Xavier's School – Infirmary**_

"Illyana, you're okay?" Sunpyre asked as she saw the blond mutant sitting up and looked as if she had never been in a coma.

"Yes, I'm fine. My head has never been clearer. Oh, Mona, it's so good to see you again," Illyana said giving her a big hug.

"You know who I am?" Mona asked the woman who was acting way to friendly to her.

"Yes, I remember everything. Everything that happened to me in this life is still up here but everything from my first life is clear as mud. The only hard part is feeling the loss of my oldest brother but relief that he is alive now," Illyana said.

"You remember before?" Sunpyre asked.

"Yes, I remember us Secret Mutants. You being Fira, Amara and Rouge looking different than they do now. I even remember our love," Illyana said glancing at Sunpyre.

"Whoa, oaky, this is too strange," Sunpyre said stepping back.

"This is great. I'll call Sam and let him know you are awake," Mona said.

"Call the others as well," Illyana said.

"Others?" Mona questioned.

"Yeah, Anna, Theresa, Amara, Sam and Jason, all of us Secret Mutants," Illyana said.

"What is with you?" Sunpyre said asked feeling weird.

"Something happened while Mona was telling her tale, our tale. When I woke up something in my mind snapped and shifted reality around me. Not only can I remember my past life, but my powers have been reset to what they were," Illyana said standing up.

It was true as she demonstrated her powers. Her connection to the Soul Sword was gone and she couldn't teleport anymore. She felt that connection to limbo vanish as it went solely flowed to Amanda Sefton along with the sword. She called on her powers and transformed her skin into an energy-like substance giving her a more demon-like look. She then created a sword out of that same energy in her hand. She then shifted back to normal and smiled at the two women there with her.

"I've called the others, they are on their way," Mona said with delight. "Oh, Illyana this is great that you remember."

"This is so weird," Sunpyre said as she looked at Illyana and Mona.

"I feel like me again. I feel joy for once and it's like all that bad stuff that's happened to me over the years has been wiped clean from me now that I got my old life back," Illyana said with a smile.

"Wow, Illyana, you look great," Sam said as he, Dani, Rouge, Sunspot, Siryn, Magma and Karma walked in.

"Thanks, I feel great. Where's John?" Illyana asked suddenly.

"He's deep in mission with X-Force and unable to come. He sent his congrats on being okay," Mona said stepping back towards the group.

"That's too bad. I would like to have had everyone here," Illyana said with a half smile.

"Everyone here for what? What's going on?" Dani asked.

"It seems she woke from her coma remembering her past life and all of us from before," Mona said as she filled everyone in as Illyana demonstrated her new old powers.

"This seems too weird," Sam said.

"It's true. I've run tests and it's as if there is no sign of her ever being able to teleport or any mystical connection to Limbo and such," Magma said running her medical tests.

"I really think that we need to go search for Daken. He was one of us and is now gone, somewhere out there. Who knows, maybe all of us being together will trigger all your memories," Illyana said getting excited.

"I don't know about that, but a part of me does feel like we need to search for him," Sunpyre said as she felt this weird connection to this person she never knew existed.

"I agree. Form the moment I heard about all this Secret Mutant business I felt like I needed to contact Leyu and help find Daken," Magma said.

"Of course you would. You and Leyu used to be like best friends. Let's do this," Illyana said.

"This is silly," Sunspot said suddenly feeling left out and threatened by this Secret Mutants trumping the New Mutants.

"I don't know. So much is going on here at the mansion. I can't just up and leave," Sam said.

"Sam, I can handle things here. Between me and Xi'an and the rest of the staff we run things till you get back. Plus, maybe this will give you a chance to check out that address and maybe trigger memories to your real parents?" Dani said as Sam looked at her.

"Okay, but if anything happens you call me and I will be on my way back," Sam said.

"Yes, that's Sam, me, Leyu and Amara. What about you and Theresa, Anna?" Illyana asked.

"As much as I'd like to, I can't leave Generation Next right now," Theresa said.

"Theresa, if you want to go I can't help look after them. After what happened with Modifier they are not scheduled for any more missions till they complete more training and I can help oversee that," Dani offered.

"I know it's against my better judgment, but something is pulling me to do this," Theresa said as she agreed to go.

"That leaves you, Anna," Illyana said.

"I don't know. I may be needed here, by my squad," Rouge added quickly wondering if she should go with what was going on with Sage and the others.

"Rouge, there are plenty of us here to watch over your squad," Xi'an said.

"Yeah, you should go. Things will be okay," Sunspot said with a smile.

"I feel the same tug as Theresa and this all suddenly feel familiar and right. Okay I'll go," Rouge said kind of feeling a relief to get away from the mansion.

"This is going to be something, but I can't remember the last time I've seen Illyana like this, so happy," Sam said as Dani nodded squeezing his hand tight.

"If it's okay, I'd like to come along. I was a part of this group and I could help unlock a lot of memories or help with answers if I can. Plus, with Illyana getting her old powers back, you might be in need of a teleporter," Mona said with hope.

"Of course, Mona, we wouldn't be us without you," Illyana said as she gave her old friend a hug.

"Then it's settled. Everyone, get your affairs in order and we meet tomorrow morning to make our game plan and head out," Sam said with a slight hesitation in his voice.

"Right on, the Secret Mutants are together again. Well, minus John and Daken, but we'll find him," Illyana rambled with excitement as everyone shook their heads wondering what they were all getting themselves into.

**Next: Issue #31 – Training Time – Part One & Secret Mutants: Search for Daken – Part Two**


	32. Training Time Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #31 – Training Time – Part One**

_**Xavier Institute**_

"I don't think it was a very good idea," Dani said as she sat at her desk staring blankly at her computer monitor.

"Why do you say that? If it was you, don't you think you'd want to look for a friend and your family?" Xi'an asked as she sat in a chair on the other side of Dani's desk.

"It's not that. With Cable and X-Force now off site and now we lose four squad leaders and one of them happens to be a headmaster, it leaves us a liter short handed. With Shadow Nova, Modifier and now Magnetrix and her new Brotherhood out there we are at prime risk," Dani said.

"Dani, we are more than capable of handling things while Sam and the others are away. Why don't you tell me what this is really about?" Xi'an said as Dani looked up.

"It's not fair he is off with them. I mean, in the beginning it was us, the New Mutants and we remained close and finally me and Sam are together. Now we learn that we are second choice that somehow there was these Secret Mutants that Sam was a part of, be for us. Before me," Dani began to say with a quiver in her voice.

"And your afraid that not only will he find his parents but they will find their old lives and memories and," Xi'an added as she walked over to her friend's side.

"What if he discovers he had another love and forgets about us, forgets about me?" Dani said as she let Xi'an take her hand.

"Sam, no mater what happens, will come back to you," Xi'an said with a smile.

"I hope so, it just every time we turn around," Dani signed.

"This is why Sage's idea of using the Danger Room to train the squads to push their potential is a good idea. Even Roberto thinks so," Xi'an interrupted her.

"No, she just wants to test the program on the students and weed out the best from the weak while Roberto is only interested in hand picking and leading a different team," Dani replied back.

"Dani, I may not agree with the idea but think about it, what happened with the students promoted to Generation Next. Maybe they weren't ready? Making the higher level mutants stick with the lower could hold them back. Like you said, with our enemies always growing and getting stronger we need the best on the front line and all of them ready for anything," Xi'an said.

"But, mixing them up does do them all a greater good. The strong pull out the potential of the weaker while the weaker students help ground and manage the egos of the others. In the end, I see both sides and Sam had wanted to advance their training. We'll do this, but only to better them all. I haven't agreed to split up any of the squads," Dani said as Roberto came running into the room.

"So are we going to start the training or what?" Roberto asked.

"I guess. Sage do you copy?" Dani asked into her Com with a sigh.

"That's weird, why isn't she answering?" Xi'an asked.

"I don't know. I saw her yesterday," Roberto responded.

"Security, locate Sage," Dani said suddenly sitting back behind her desk and activating her computer.

"What is going on? Sage and now Bishop isn't responding?" Xi'an asked.

"According to the mansion security cams, neither of them is in the mansion or on the grounds and there are no logs of them leaving," Dani said with concern.

"Maybe they decided to go out to eat or something," Roberto said.

"That don't seem like them though, not without alerting me and right before our new training," Dani said.

"Well, they have been spending a lot of time together, I think they might have a thing for each other," Roberto said with a smile.

"Guess we'll have to worry about this later, we have students waiting. Get me Network, I feel safer having her running this anyway," Dani said as they left the room.

_**Auditorium**_

"Good luck," Rusty said as he gave Sally a big hug and kiss.

"And the same to you, sweetie. It was a matter of time before we were put in charge of our own squads," Sally said.

"Yeah, but you got it made," Rusty said.

"What are you talking about? I have to work with Callisto and the older Morlocks. You actually get to work with the younger Morlock children and young adults," Sally said.

"Like I said, you got it easy," Rusty laughed as he headed off to the room where his squad of kids awaited him.

"Think of it as good practice," Sally called after and then stepped into the auditorium.

"This is ridiculous. We don't need to be here," Marrow called out when Sally walked in.

"No one's keeping you here, Sarah. You and anyone else that wants to go are free to do so. Just know that the only thing waiting for you out there is the unknown surface world and being hunt down by Modifier," Sally answered back.

"We can be slaughtered here just as easily. I know what it's like being an X-Man and how death seams to follow this school," Marrow called back.

"True, but here you will have a chance to be safe. You will have a chance to actually learn to better your powers and yourselves, build a family and one day become an X-Man if you so choose. At least here you have a better chance at a better life," Sally pleaded not to Morrow but out to the rest of the Morlocks before her.

"I for one want that. I, like Skids, no longer want to live under the streets. Instead of being a part of something on the verge of extinction we can become a part of something better," Callisto said.

"You only say that now because you lost your powers and pass as human now," Marrow spat.

"I am far from weak," Callisto said as she suddenly was by Marrow's side and slammed her into the ground pinning her with her own bone fragment pressed into her neck.

"Callisto, that's enough. Here you will be taught that violence and killing is not tolerable. If you truly want to be a part of our mutant generation force you will stay, if not, you know where the door is and will always be welcomed back," Sally said as Callisto released Marrow.

"I'm out of here, who's with me?" Marrow said as she headed for the door and looked back.

"I just don't feel comfortable here," Beautiful Dreamer said as she followed after Marrow.

"I agree, I can't be under the same roof of the man who had killed my brother," Hump said as he thought about the day cable had shot his brother Brute.

"Let's go," Bertram said as he, Hump and Beautiful Dreamer were the only ones to leave with Marrow.

"As sad as I am to see them go, they've maid their decision and have you all," Callisto said smiling at the group before her and Sally.

"You may have noticed that all the younger Morlocks are not here. They have been placed in a squad with my boyfriend, Rusty. This way they will not only be trained on using their powers but will be integrated with the other children and start learning to fit in," Sally said with a smile.

"So this offer is for real? This is no pity or trick on us Morlocks?" Erg asked suspiciously.

"Yes, and you like the group with Rusty are no longer Morlocks. The Morlocks died with the battle of Modifier. From this moment on you will never be referred to as Morlocks again. You are mutant students here at the Xavier Institute. Unlike the younger students we have different kinds and levels of training for you. You are no longer Morlocks, but not yet X-Men. Under Callisto and I, you are the X-Factor," Skids said as many cheered and grumbled with hope.

_**Outside the Infirmary**_

"Mr. Cassidy, are you sure this is wise?" Lucinda asked as the red headed man in the wheel chair moved towards her. 

"Call me Sean, please, after all the time you've spent checking in on me, first names are a must. Really, thanks to the additional help of Healer I am all better and the casts on my legs will come off in a week," Sean the X-Man known as Banshee said tapping the casts on his legs.

"But, can you handle a squad of kids?" Lucinda teased as she walked along side he man.

"I've done it before and if my daughter can do it so can I. Plus, I need this. There's nothing for me to do to help the missing X-Men and I kind of like the company here," Banshee said as he moved past a blushing Lucinda and entered a small room.

"Good luck, and I mean that for the kids," Lucinda laughed as she closed the door.

"Great, we all finally get to be placed on a squad and it's with an old man in a wheel chair," Leong Manh.

"Hey, show respect," Nga Manh said punching her brother.

"Yes, just because you are in a wheel chair it doesn't make you powerless. Just look at Professor X," Taki Matsuya, the mutant called Wiz Kid said as his own wheelchair pulled apart and reformed as an exoskeleton around his waist down to his feet allowing him to walk upright.

"Right you are Taki," Sean said wondering what he had gotten himself into.

Sean looked over his squad. This group was given to him specifically because he was fully trusted with their care. The oldest of the group, Taki Matsuya the Wiz Kid was his squad leader. It also helped that he, like a few of the others, he had worked with before. Just like good ol' Leech. He had been through so much and just recently loosing his best friend Artie over at Salem-X. This would give him a chance to start over and finally tap the true potential of his powers. The next two he had some experience with as well, Claudette and Nicole St. Croix, younger twin siblings of Monet St. Croix.

When he first took on Generation X and the student named M, little did he know that it was really the twins. It seems the St. Croix can merge with each other and the twins had become M while Monet was really inside Penance, imprisoned by their brother Emplate. Now, Emplate is dead, the empty husk body of Penance has gained sentience and become their adopted sister Yvette and is on the Excelsior Squad while Monet is a member of Generation Next. The two young twins, getting closer to their teen years, have started demonstrating individual powers and have now been placed on his squad. Sometimes, for Banshee, it's something to see a whole family training at the Institute.

The last three in his group were also younger siblings of former students of Xavier's school. Xi'an's younger siblings Leong and Nga had come to the school as a place of safety and protection after all they had been through. Xi'an had been relieved when they had been reverted back to normal after being abducted by Shaw and sold into the hands of Spiral. Now that they are well into their teens, their true mutant powers have manifested. As nervous as Xi'an is, she knows they are in good hands with Sean. Sean smiled as he looked over at the final member of his squad. Sam's youngest sisters smiled back at him.

When the Guthrie family came here, they didn't want Cleo to take part with any of the squads. Now that she was nearing ten and growing more into her powers, Lucinda agreed it was time to place her on a training squad. With Cleo Guthrie on his squad, that made every single child of Lucinda's here and active at the Xavier Institute. Charles had always joked that Sam and his siblings alone was enough to form their own massive team. He knew, this time, with these kids he would do the best job he could to train them and protect them.

"Okay, let's get our training started. My name is Sean Cassidy the X-Man known as Banshee and I will be in charge of your squad. Before we go around and get better acquainted I want to be the first to welcome you all to my squad, Gen X," Banshee said with a smile.

_**Epilogue**_

"Maybe we should have stayed," Beautiful Dreamer said as they all stood in a dark ally while Marrow cased out a restaurant for food.

"We're better off out here on our own," Marrow said as she watched her mark.

"Oh, I can see that," Hump laughed as he waved his arms about the ally.

"What if Modifier tries to find us and kill us?" Beautiful Dreamer asked suddenly wishing she had not left.

"Oh, no need to worry about that," a voice laughed as they all turned to see the sinister form of Modifier heading their way.

"You won't kill us," Marrow said as she produced and yanked out two sharp bone knives.

"I'm not here to kill you. I realized it might not be so bad to have a few soldiers in my army against the X-Men. I am here to offer you to join me," Modifier said as he smiled as his red eyes glowed against his white skin.

"What makes you think we would join you?" Bertram asked even though he was seriously considering it.

"What choice do you have?" Modifier shrugged as he now stood right in front of all four Morlocks.

"There's always a choice," Marrow said.

"I'll do it," Hump said as he stepped closer to Modifier who suddenly slashed open his throat with his sharp claws.

"What are you doing?" Beautiful Dreamer asked as she saw Hump drop to the ground.

"You're right, there's always a choice. Now I will let fate decide if you die or live to join me," Modifier laughed as he quickly slashed the remaining three Morlocks with his claws.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Search for Daken – Part Two**

_**Xavier's School – Backyard Gardens**_

"About time, almost thought you were backing out on us," Illyana said with a coy smile.

"Sorry, had to make sure everything and everyone was taken care of before I left,' Sam said.

"Right, you were saying good-bye to Dani," Amara teased.

"You and Dani, serious? I thought you were with Tabitha," Leyu said as everyone quickly stared at her.

"Um, Tabitha was a very long time ago," Sam said quietly.

"Guess I've been out of the loop hanging with Big Hero 6," Leyu chuckled.

"Bringing back awkward memories?" Rouge asked with an evil grin.

"He can handle it. Look how well he and Theresa have gotten along and they used to be a hot item," Illyana teased.

"What? Me and Sam never, ew!" Theresa shouted in disgust.

"It's true, we never dated let alone have I even thought of her in that way," Sam said turning red.

"Don't worry, Illyana is referring to your past lives. You and Theresa used to date before you all got inserted into new lives," Mona said as she left the two mutants speechless.

"As great as all this is, does anyone have a clue where we start to look for this Daken?" Anna asked growing restless.

"Yes, I do. I used what information I had and cross referenced with your systems and I believe I know where Daken might have ended up," Mona said.

"Where would that be?" Sam asked.

"Madripoor," Mona responded.

"You're sure he's there?" Amara asked not really thrilled about the place.

"I don't know if he's there or not, but from what I can calculate, at one point or another, he has been there," Mona started to say.

"And with the seven of us, we are bound to find someone there that knows him or can point us in the right direction," Illyana said clapping her hands.

"So, how do we get there?" Amara asked.

"We could borrow one of the jets," Sam said.

"Won't that draw attention?" Leyu asked.

"I have an idea," Mona said.

"What's that?" Rouge asked.

"Take my hand," Mona said as all seven of them linked hands and formed a circle.

It had been awhile since she had used her powers and with great force and distance. Mona closed her eyes and called on her powers picturing Madripoor in her mind. Lightening crackled in the air as a gust of wind hit them as they all vanished from sight. Somewhere in the heart of Madripoor, lightening crackled followed by a loud boom of thunder as a big gust of wind whirled dust all around as seven mutants holding hands appeared from nowhere. They all released hands and glanced around as people scurried away from them.

"So much for keeping a low profile," Rouge sassed.

"Maybe nobody noticed," Illyana offered.

"I highly doubt that," Theresa said pointing upwards as they all looked up to see dozens of men holding guns and pointing right at them.

"You will come with us," one of the men proclaimed.

"We're not going anywhere," Cannonball said.

"It wasn't a request. Bring them," the man ordered as the men leapt from the roof tops and dashed towards them with guns blazing.

"This shouldn't be too hard," Sunpyre burst into flame and sent out a wave of fire and heat to help stop the bullets.

"Try not to make too much noise," Sam started to say when Siryn opened her mouth and sent a sonic scream that caused the men to fall back covering their ears.

"I hate this. Ever since I was reverted from a Horseman my pallet was wiped clean. I house no powers at the moment," Rouge said as she used her fists to take down one man after another.

"Why don't you just borrow one of ours?" Mona asked as she held out her hands and in a puff of wind and minor boom, caused a wave of bullets to vanish from sight before they had hit her and Rouge.

"The gun fire is too much. Mona, get you, Rouge and Magik out of the line of fire," Cannonball said as he projected his energy shield around him shot outwards into the mess of shooting men.

"Name's Demon Child again and I can take care of myself," Illyana said as she called on her powers causing her skin to shift into organic energy.

"Not sure I like that," Magma said as walls of molten lava separated them from the men with guns.

"Ow!" Demon Child said as she cuffed her arm.

"Until you get practice using your old powers again, a bullet may not wound or kill you but it can still make you feel the pain of its impact," Mona said as she took Sam's orders and with a crackle, boom and burst of air caused Illyana and Anna to vanish with her from the battle zone.

Cannonball glanced back and was glad to see them out of harms way but was surprised when he looked forward and saw a huge energy blast coming at him. He swerved but wasn't fast enough. The blast clipped his shield, and even if he wasn't harmed he still bounded wild and went deep into the side of a building. Cannonball got to his feet and shook the dust off of his head and uniform. As he was about to return to the battle a woman with short red hair and dressed all in white stepped up to him.

"Miss, are you alright?" Cannonball asked the lady.

"I am now that Sapphire Styx has you," the woman smirked as she grabbed Cannonball by the throat with one hand and began to drain the life energy from his body.

**Next: Issue #32 – Training Time – Part Two & Secret Mutants: Search for Daken – Part Three**


	33. Training Time Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #32 – Training Time – Part Two**

_**Xavier Institute – The Danger Room**_

"Now don't be afraid. Today we will be doing basic training and getting an idea of how your powers work," Flashfire said as he looked at his new squad, the X-Terminators dressed in their dark blue and yellow squad suits.

Rusty looked at his squad of former Morlock children and breathed deeply. The first was a smaller framed kid with blue skin and large yellow eyes with green "+" for pupils. His name was Grid with no memory of being called any other name, which tended to be the case of many Morlocks. His powers allowed him to see and map out any area. He was like a human GPS mapping devise. Flashfire activated the program placing them in a large forest and nodded to the kid.

"Okay, Grid tell me what you see," Flashfire asked.

"All I see is an empty room with a hidden observation room up top with two people sitting in there," Grid said as his green pupils glowed and he looked around.

"Interesting," Flashfire said as he realized that Grid's powers allowed him to see past the illusions and holograms and see what was really in the room. This was something, if fully developed could come in handy when going on missions in unknown locations and more.

"Yeah, real interesting," Angel Dust smirked.

Rusty looked at the heavyset girl with blond hair. Her real name was Christine and she had run away from home when she was real little when her powers had manifested to protect her family. Even now, she refuses to reveal her last name and has physically as well as emotionally cut all ties to her family. It seemed that when her adrenaline gets flowing it gives her bursts of super strength and speed. Rusty wiggled his finger and Network in the booth above activated his command.

"Whoa," Angel Dust said as she jumped out of the way of a falling tree as a sentinel came crashing through.

As the robot got closer her adrenaline began pumping. Her skin puffed out more and veins throbbed though as her strength began to increase. She leapt out of the way of another tree and then picked one up with ease and hurled it at the giant robot. The sentinel swatted the tree out of the way with one arm while aiming its other arm at Angel Dust. Flashfire was about to call out a warning but it seemed the rest of his team was reacting.

Electric Eve, who also didn't have a last name and just went by eve, used to be a heroin addict and prostitute. She had begun to change her life when she joined the Morlocks. Her body produced massive amounts of energy. This always gave her an electrical look and didn't allow people to get too close to her. She raised her arms and extended that energy outwards and hit the sentinel with an electrical blast that blew his firing arm off. The only problem, another side effect of her powers, she fell to the ground incapacitated by her own powers for the next few minutes.

The sentinel turned and aimed its other hand at the down Eve as its hand and power cell in its chest began to glow with power. The pale green skinned mutant that looked like he was made of goop stepped in front of Eve and the sentinel. The kid took in a deep breath and then sneezed really hard causing a large massive dose of snot to fly at the robot covering its hand and chest. Producing snot was the kids powers, hence his name, Sling Snot. His first name was Sam but he refused to go by it.

"A lot of good that will do to stop the robot," Angel Dust said as Rusty kept his laughter in the inside.

"Yes, but snot is a form of liquid and that's all I need," the mutant whose blue-black body was made of a hard crystalline material.

With quick instructions Sling Shot sent two streams of snot at the robot again. This time, Shatter, touched the sprays and called on his powers. The snot began to crystallize as it flew towards the robot. Just as the snot touched the hand and the chest again, the spray was fully crystallized and began to crystallize all of the snot covering the chest and the hand. Within moment the robots hand and chest plate was completely crystallized. Just as the sentinel started to fire, its hand and chest piece shattered into a million crystallized pieces. Flashfire was impressed but that didn't stop the sentinel. It began to move towards the squad, this time it would use its eyes beams.

Flashfire was about to assist when he saw the youngest of his squad move towards the robot. It was Squirt. No one knew where she came from or who she was but she had just been among the Morlocks and never talked. She had yellow skin and was completely bald. She got right under the sentinel and then used her power. She melted down into a giant puddle. The robots foot came down on the puddle and instantly slipped and lost its footing and fell backwards to the ground. Squirt quickly reformed and ran back behind the others. That is when the final member of the squad stepped up to finish the job.

Burning Puddle was just a little older than Squirt. He and his mother Miss Saccharine had been apart of the Chicago Morlocks till his mother had been killed. He then joined and stayed with the Morlocks here in New York after that. It seems his skin tends to change colors over a period of time. The kid ran really hard and jumped on the robots face. Flashfire could see the kid sweating really hard. Suddenly the robot's face began to smoke as Burning Puddle's powers kicked in. The kid's sweat was actually made of acid and could burn through just about anything, as it was doing to the robot's head and officially destroying it. It was a useful power but also kept him from safely being in close contact with others. Luckily his suit was made of a material that his sweat couldn't break down.

"Good job, you took the sentinel down. Not bad for a first run," Flashfire said knowing that if this had been a real fight with more than one sentinel that most of them would not have survived.

"Does this mean we are X-Men now?" Sling Shot asked.

"Not yet but you are all on your way," Flashfire smiled as he lead his squad out of the Danger Room.

_**Elsewhere in the Mansion**_

"If you ask me, they shouldn't have let the Morlocks in here," Gloom said as he looked around at his squad.

"They have every right to be here. They have nowhere else to go," Giantess said as she glared at the small mutant whose body was wrapped completely in a brown cloak and hood with large red goggles shinning out from underneath.

"I feel bad for them but we're all on top of each other the way it is. This is supposed to be a school to train us as warriors not a place for anyone to seek shelter," Onyxx said as his four eyes shined through his helmet.

"Is that what you think of me and Freakshow?" Wicked asked with anger while the cute blond boy known as Freakshow stepped up behind her and squeezed her shoulders.

"No, you two are different. You were placed on this squad to be one of us. They are extras that new squads had to be formed for with new teachers," Eosimias said as the feline/primate mutant hung from the ceiling by his tail licking his sharp finger-like claws.

"Speaking of the teachers, what do you make of your brother and some of the other teachers abandoning their squads and taking off?" Onyxx asked.

"I don't know. He didn't say anything to me and mama just says that they had to go check on something and would be back soon," Giantess said.

"Well, I overheard Blindfold rambling something about our Headmaster having three lives and soon his real family will be revealed as past, present and future collide," Gloom said with a smirk.

"You mean Mr. Guthrie is adopted? I always thought he had a different smell about him than the rest of the Guthrie clan," Eosimias said as his tail let go and he flew safely to the ground.

"My brother aint had no three lives and he is just that, my brother. Stop making up and spreading lies," Giantess spat back with anger.

"Hey I was just," Gloom began to defend himself when Sunspot entered the room.

"Enough, all of you. If you have time for gossip then you're not training hard enough. Now let's get moving," Roberto snapped. He figures if he's stuck with this squad then he's going to make sure they are the best and to be feared.

_**DR2**_

"What is this place?" Fore Arm said as he looked around the small room that had blue neon streaks glowing all across the walls, floor and ceiling.

"This is the Danger Room Two, or the DR2," Rictor said as she lead her squad into the room and closed the doors.

"So we've finally gotten so crowded here we need another training room?" Hub said as she looked at their squad leader and teacher.

"No, this was something that was here and we discovered and Sam had completed and ready for us to benefit from before he left," Rictor said.

"What is it?" Bluefire asked as he looked around.

"I think the lights are neat," Blindspot, Bluefire's younger sister added.

"Yeah, so what does this room do?" Species asked as he and the ever silent Penance walked around the room.

"After the Danger Room analyzes and records your actions in the training session it transports all the data here to the DR2. When in here, DR2 can and will show you and train you to see your true potential and better your skills and we are the first to try it out," Rictor said as his squad looked around in awe as he hoped no one would find out he was using it before the go ahead had been given to the teachers. Sam had wanted to hold off till he got back.

"How does it work?" Hub asked nervously.

"DR2, voice authorization Julio Rictor, begin X-Mark the Excelsiors," Rictor said as the room flared to life.

"Squad leader, Tanja Jaukhac AKA Hub," a computerized female voice boomed from everywhere as glowing neon lights engulfed and pulsed all around Hub.

"How?" Hub began to ask as she had been careful to never reveal her true name to anyone.

"Powers, teleportation with a secondary mutation that acts as a psionic radar and GPS that gives her abilities a greater and different effect than most teleporters. Potential Omega Class Teleporter with the ability to teleport anyone to anywhere or thing with just a thought whether she's been there before or even seen it," the voice reported.

"Wow," Species said as the lights went off Hub and then zapped him next.

"I really think you're there, Hub. Just need to practice and train and there's nothing you can't do," Rictor said as the computer interrupted before Hub could respond.

"Squad member, Peter Rasputin AKA Species. Powers, matter manipulation from his father that allows him to turn his skin to resemble and look like any animal skin and animal empathy from his mother that allows him to take on characteristics and traits of animals. The two combined gives him the illusion that he shape shifts into various animals. Potential due to mixed mutant genes from parents, Beta to Alpha Class Therianthroper (def. humans morphing or taking on animal characteristics) with a fifty percent chance to evolve into an Alpha Class Wereshifter (def. shape shifter who can only transform fully into any animal) and after that a twenty percent chance with the help of the matter manipulation gene to evolve into an Omega Class Shape Shifter," the computer finished.

"Unbelievable," Rictor mumbled his student's thoughts. Something like this could not only be a very powerful tool for mutants but also very deadly in the wrong hands. Where had Sam and Dani found this? If this could show Hub she is an Omega Mutant and Species how is power may or could evolve too, then what might it do for him or the X-Men. It could show anyone how to improve their gifts or discover new ones or new ways to use their existing ones. Before Rictor could further his thinking the beam lit up on Penance.

"Squad member, adopted name Yvette St. Croix AKA Penance. Powers, none with sentience given body shell shaped so body and fingers are razor sharp and cut anything it comes in contact with. Potential, none accept a three percent chance of breaking free and becoming a live individual otherwise Penance is just an extension of the St. Croix sister's essence. Could be absorbed back into any of the sisters at any time with a sixty percent chance of being recreated and a one percent chance of not being wiped clean and retaining any memories or personality prior to reabsorbtion," the computer said as Penance screamed, pushing Species away from her and slicing open his chest as she bolted out the door.

"DR2, emergency shut down, voice authorization Julio Rictor. Hub, get Species to the infirmary while I go after Penance. Also, no one breathes a word we were in here and what happened for now, okay?" Rictor asked as every one nodded and Hub vanished with Species and he and the rest of the students left the room after Penance.

_**Epilogue**_

"Earth to Vic, how did your training session go?" Wind Dancer asked as she waved her hand in front of the green skinned leader of Alpha Squad.

"Huh, what?" Anole asked as he jumped and looked up at the girl with long dark hair.

"Never mind him. He's too busy daydreaming," Indra said with a laugh covering sadness.

"I am not," Anole protested.

"Please, even I can tell your drooling over Dallas Gibson," Josh Foley said with a laugh as Anole took a quick glance at Specter and his squad across the lunch room.

"I don't know why you waste your time. Now that your healed and the attention is off you he hasn't even so much as looked at you," Lou said as Anole blushed.

"I feel bad for the others. They may not get a training session like us since their leaders left," Rubbermaid said as she nodded over at the Corsairs, Hellions and Exemplars eating across the room from them.

"I wonder where they went," Surge asked as she and the rest of the New Mutants sat down and joined the Alpha Squad at their table.

"Bringing the past and the present together to make the future, thank you," Blindfold said as she took a bite of her salad.

"I still can't get used to her," Kidogo whispered to Gentle who said nothing.

"Please, an intruder has taken a hand full of students from each of the squads, your welcome," Blindfold said as she suddenly stood up and panicked.

"What is she?" Xi'an began to say to Dani when a black woman with tied up braids and red markings on her face appeared from nowhere and then vanished again taking a bunch of the students and Dani Moonstar with her.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Search for Daken – Part Three**

_**Madripoor**_

"Sam!" Siryn shouted as she saw the woman in white holding Sam up by his throat.

Siryn flew at the woman with full speed and let out a scream that was sure to send her back onto her knees. The woman laughed as the energy from Sam drained into her and made her stronger. Once Siryn was close enough the woman in white swung her hand and back handed Siryn so hard she went flying backwards in the opposite direction. Sunpyre flew to her side as Magma called on her powers to make the street between the woman and Sam to rip apart and a wall of lava to shoot up. The woman fell back releasing Sam, causing him to fall back on the other side of the lava wall. Magma ran to Sam's side as the woman quickly got to her feet and faced them.

"I am Sapphire Styx and I am giving you two choices. Do as I command or die," the psychic vampire known as Sapphire Styx said with a cackle.

"We're not the ones that will be dying," Siryn said as she rubbed her jaw.

"Oh, really?" Sapphire said as she snapped her fingers.

The mutants looked around as they saw a bunch of armed men surrounding them and pointing their guns at them. That didn't phase Cannonball at all. What got him were three guards standing upon a roof top. One held the limp body of Mona while the other two men each held on to Rouge and Illyana with a gun pressed into the back of each of their heads. Cannonball knew that there was nothing daring they could do to survive a gun shot at that close a range. Cannonball motioned for the rest of the girls to hold back as he turned to face the woman again.

"What do you want with us?" Cannonball asked.

"Why, your mutant life force. I want to drink it all," Sapphire Styx said licking her lips.

"You can't have us," Magma shouted.

"Then your friends up there die," Sapphire smiled.

"Wait, what if I give myself to you will you let the girls go?" Cannonball asked.

"Sam, don't," Siryn begged.

"Please, why would I do that when I can have all of you if I want," the woman in white laughed as her added strength from Cannonball allowed her to smash a rock in her hand to dust.

Suddenly a gun shot went off and they all turned fearing the worst. To everyone's surprise, the three guards that had been holding Mona, Rouge and Illyana had fallen to the ground releasing all three women. Rouge caught Mona while Illyana gasped at the three dead men. It was clear a single bullet had passed through all three of their heads at once. As the rest of Styx's men brought up their guns a single voice shouted out to them.

"I wouldn't do that boys. You so much as twitch and you all fall dead were you stand," said the voice.

"Who dares?" Styx asked turning to see a beautiful Thai woman with long dark hair and an Asian printed suit of gold body armor standing on a roof top with a smoking gun.

"These mutants are under the protection of Tyger Tiger. I will give to the count of two and if you and your men aren't gone, I will renounce my promise to you and will end your stay here in Madripoor, permanently," Tyger Tiger said as her gun was now aimed at Sapphire Styx.

"You win for now, Tyger, but soon you will have your day," Styx growled as she was suddenly gone and her men already running in retreat.

The woman known as Tyger Tiger leapt form the rooftop and fired off a grappling gun. It hooked to the next building which she used to swing downwards towards the group of mutants. As she was just a few feet from them, she released the line and did a summersault landing on her feet right in front of Cannonball. She turned as a newly revived Mona teleported her and the other two girls down next to the others. Tyger smiled at them and tipped her head.

"Rouge, always a pleasure," Tyger Tiger said.

"I see you're still running things here?" Rouge asked with a glare.

"Yes, and we will be better safe back at my place. While here, any colleges of Logan's will be granted safety and protection by Tyger Tiger, for now," Tyger said as she looked over her shoulder and smiled as she lead them to an armored limo and took them back to her mansion.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Cannonball whispered.

"No, but she knows better. Any harm comes to us here and she has Wolverine to deal with," Rouge whispered back.

The seven mutants soon found themselves soon found themselves standing in front of a large desk with Tyger Tiger sitting on the other side with dozens of armed guards watching them. They stood there in silence for a few minutes wondering what they were to do next or what they had gotten themselves into. Sam finally took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"We thank you for the assistance out there and," Sam started to say when the woman behind the desk rose a finger and silenced him.

"Let's cut the small talk. What are the seven of you doing here causing a scene in my city?" Tyger Tiger asked.

"We are searching for a friend of ours, his name was Daken," Illyana chimed in.

"Daken? Does not sound familiar. Can you describe him for me?" Tyger asked.

"We don't," Cannonball began when Mona stepped forward.

"Actually I have this. It's a photo of all of us that I've kept hidden safely," Mona said as she laid down a photograph of a Mona and a group of her students.

"Oh my," Siren began to say as they all stared down at the photograph that no one but Mona and Illyana remember.

There was Rouge but she had blue skin and looked more like Mystique and was standing next to Warpath. Next to her was Sam with brown hair and he had his arm around Theresa with Mona on the other side. Kneeling in front was Magma, but to their surprise she was black and looked a little more like Ororo Monroe. Next to her was Illyana and if you looked real close you could see her trying to hide holding hands with Leyu. Also, if you looked closely you could see that Leyu was looking at someone else out of the corner of her eyes. That person was a young man standing off away from them. He had long dark hair that was pulled back into a pony tail and he looked mean and sexy all wrapped into one.

"This is Daken," Mona said pointing to the stand offish person in the photo while the others all stared at each other and the photo in shock.

"Well, if you were to add a few more years on him, added some tattoos to his left arm and body and the hair was died purple and was shaved more bald with a small shaggy mohawk of sorts I would say he could be a spitting image of Akihiro," Tyger said sitting back and gaining a twitch of fear in her eyes.

"You know him?" Leyu asked as she found, just like the picture, she was being drawn to this unknown man.

"What can you tell us of him and where to find him?" Illyana asked as she felt a twinge of jealousy. Even though she had all her memories back, Leyu didn't. In this life, it could be that much easier for Daken to take her from her.

"I have never met the man, thank God. Most who do don't live to tell the tale. I just know what I know from descriptions, rumors and a vague photo I was sent before my spy was killed," Tyger said.

"What can you tell us?" Mona asked with urgency.

"Normally I wouldn't offer such info without something in return, but since you are of Logan's pack and if you are truly searching out Akihiro, I want you as far from here as possible," Tyger said.

"Why is that?" Cannonball asked.

"Akihiro is one of the most deadly assassins and killers in the world. He goes by the name Slash. The scariest thing about him is that very few know of his existence and if you see him face to face you know you are dead. Word on the street is that he is the personal assassin and owned by someone or something called Romulus," Tyger said with a shiver.

"What can you tell us about Romulus?" Siren asked.

"Nothing. To even whisper that name on the streets guarantees your death. My advise to you is to leave here and speak and search no further for the two," Tyger said as she motioned for her guards to show them the way out as Mona scooped up her photo.

"You have to tell us where we can find Daken," Leyu found herself pleading.

"Rumor has it he was last seen in South America taking out some drug runners that had crossed the wrong person," Tyger said.

"How can we believe her?" Rouge asked Cannonball.

"Because, the photo I spoke of was taken a few days ago and captured by my spy who was fallowing the drug runners and witnessed Slash in action right before being murdered himself," Tyger said as she flipped a photo onto the desk that showed a shadowy blurred figure of Slash who, from what they could make out, could resemble their Daken.

"Then to South America we go," Mona said as she studied the area in the photo and then let it fall to the ground as she teleported her team out.

"It's done. I've sent them where you wanted me to. As agreed you will leave me and my city alone and never to set foot or send any of your people here again?" Tyger said trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Never fear, the word of Romulus stands firm and is honor bound," a deep voice said from behind her and then was gone as the sound of her back window breaks and her visitor leaving Madripoor, hopefully forever.

**Next: Issue #33 – The Neo – Part One & Secret Mutants: Search for Daken – Part Four**


	34. The Neo Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #33 – The Neo – Part One**

_**Unknown Location**_

"What happened? Where are we?" Were only some of the questions Dani Moonstar heard from all around her.

Dani had been standing out in the courtyard getting ready to eat lunch with the other staff and students when Blindfold started shouting about students being kidnapped. Dani had looked at Xi'an in confusion when a black woman with weird markings on her face appeared out of nowhere and sent out some kind of energy beam from her body. Next thing Dani knew she was standing here in the middle of what looked like a swamp or marsh with murky water up to her knees. She looked around and saw that the strange woman was gone and that she was the only adult here with several children. She quickly counted twenty students and noticed there were two from each squad that was in the lunch room at the time.

"Everyone stay calm and don't move," Dani said as she tried to calm everyone and take roll call.

From her squad, the New Mutants there was Prodigy and Surge. She noted that from Mutant Force there was Wicked and Eosimias, from Corsairs there was Celeste and Dryad, from Alpha Squad there was Rubbermaid and Anole, from the Hellions was Skywalker and Dust, from Exemplars was Aura and only Lewis, one half of Power2, from Paragons there was Pixie and Preview, from Excelsiors was Species and Blindspot, and from the two new squads was Sling Snot and Squirt from the X-Terminators and Wiz Kid and Xi'an's little sister Nga from Gen X. She hated this and really wished Sam was here with her.

"I wonder who that lady was with the red markings," Wiz Kid said as he was glad that when he went to lunch he had gone in his exo-suit that allowed him to walk rather than his usual wheelchair. Problem now is that it took a lot of his power and focus to maintain the suit which allowed him to walk.

"Without my sisters I can't tap the power we usually have. I don't feel any other minds around here but ours," Celeste said as she felt naked and depressed by the lack of her sister's touch.

"At least you have powers. Without Lea I am powerless," Lewis pouted.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe," Aura, Lewis's older sister said as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"What, by glowing pretty and flying?" Blindspot laughed as she teased her slightly younger sister.

"Okay, that's enough. We need to focus and look out for each other," Dani said with frustration as she swore about that fact she had wished for Sam to be here not a handful of his siblings.

"I wish that whoever abducted us would show themselves," Dust said as she moved closer to Dani.

"They will. Everyone look up," Preview suddenly said as they all looked to the sky.

Dani scanned the sky but saw nothing, but she knew the nature of Jessie Vale's powers. Two minutes later, right on queue, four figures wearing loose fitting cloaks and riding on some kind of flying gliders went soaring past. With Dani's command, she and Celeste reached out with their mental powers but were unable to get anything. The four figures vanished as quickly as they had arrived. Dani, fear for the students, began to feel panic setting in. She knew something was about it hit.

"Warclan, take them," a woman shouted as they all turned to see five figures step out of the marshy shadows.

Dani noticed that all five figures wore similar body armor, carried weapons and each bore the same red markings upon their faces. From their name, the X-Men files and her being part of the task force to fight them, she knew exactly who these deadly warriors were. The Warclan was a division of a group of mutants with additional heightened speed, strength and ability called the Neo. They were a race that had remained in hiding until the High Evolutionary had shut off all mutant powers which resulted in numerous of their kind dying. After that, a woman named Domina had gathered the surviving Warclan and attacked the X-Men declaring war on all mutants. The anger was only fueled when the X-Man Cecilia Reyes had accidently killed Domina's husband. Eventually they had been driven off to only be later confronted by Magneto who killed many of them until Domina agreed to surrender to his service. They remained on Genosha where they had been classified as dead along with the other sixteen million that had died when the Sentinels had attacked and slaughtered Genosha. Obviously, like always, they were wrong and here they were alive and well.

She didn't see Domina among them and wasn't sure if she was in hiding or if she had not survived, but that fact she was not here and someone else was leading the Warclan made her think the later. The Warclan were deadly warriors that loved using their weapons but would use their powers if needed. Leading them was Static. She had black hair and was holding her favorite gun. She also had the power to project a scrambling field that disabled a person's powers or to backfire on them. Next to her was Kilmer. He had pure white painted skin and his head was bald except a patch of brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. He was very deadly not only with his rifle but he could make his hands morph into long sharp blades.

The woman responsible for kidnapping them in the first place she now recognized as Junction. She was equipped with a knife and her ability to teleport. She stood slightly behind the last two of their group. Antus, a very large, muscular and bald man who wore arm bands made of sharp spikes. He could draw on the elemental energy around him and make him even stronger. He could also make him self immune to most attacks after being hit once. The last guy was black and very muscular and went by the name Barbarian. He also wore a beard and tied his long hair back into a ponytail. He carried a machine gun in each hand and also had the ability of structural morphing. This was not a group to take lightly.

"On your guard and don't underestimate these five. Heavy hitters to the forefront and keep the younger ones and others protected," Dani commanded as she had Celeste do her best to mentally bring everyone up to speed on what and who they were facing.

"We still out number them," Surge said as she thrust out her gauntlet covered hands and let out bolt of electricity at the enemy.

All of them moved but two. Antus took a hit and fell back. He then got back up and took a second hit that this time seemed to have no effect on him. Static called on her powers and threw up one of her fields causing the electricity to flow back and hit Surge, causing her power to backfire and send her backwards in an explosion of power backlash. Prodigy quickly ran to her side to make sure she was okay. She was frazzled but was okay. Prodigy stayed by her side while Dani and her Mutant Force battled the Warclan.

"I will enjoy slicing you," Kilmer said as he turned his hands into blades and dove at Aura and Lewis.

"Vic!" Rubbermaid screamed as Anole jumped in front of them and lost his arm to Kilmer's blade as he protected the two Guthrie siblings.

"You'll pay for that," Dani said as she called on her powers and fighting the headache, she created a bow out of psionic energy and then used what power she had left to create a psionic arrow and launch it at Kilmer sending him to the ground twitching.

"Wow," Dust said as she saw her Headmistress in a new light and then turned to dust to help blind their foes.

"I'll do this the old fashion way," Barbarian said as he pointed both his gun and fired off rapid laser blasts from his machine guns randomly into the blowing dust storm.

"Quick," Rubbermaid said as realized she would have to worry about Vic later.

Pixie and Skywalker quickly grabbed a side of Rubbermaid and flew in opposite directions causing her to stretch out and create a blanket like covering over them all. Barbarian's bullets hit her body and bounced right back at the Warclan. Between dodging dust and bullets the Warclan was actually pausing and retreating a little. Dani was proud of these kids. Those that could fight or knew how to fight were doing just that. They just might make it out of this situation yet.

"Are we done playing yet?" The one called Junction asked.

"Yes, the Clan Master has what he needs," Static said as she glanced up and nodded at the four figure that were hovering above and then darted off.

"Do your thing and I'll do mine," Barbarian said.

Dani didn't like this at all. If they had only been playing then she knew their worst was coming. She created another psionic arrow and pointed it at Static. If she took out their clan leader, then the others would be easy to take down after that. Just as she was about to fire it off a strong force hit her in the back of her head causing her to drop to the ground. She turned to see Kilmer standing above her turning his hands into blades and smiling.

"It is payback time," Kilmer said as he raised his blades.

"You leave Miss. Moonstar alone," Eosimias said as he flew past Kilmer and clawed his face.

Kilmer screamed in rage as his blades became hands and he touched his slightly bleeding face. Sling Snot then ran up, sneezed and covered his whole face in snot so that he was blinded. As Kilmer swore in outrage trying to wipe is face clean, he slipped on a puddle and fell hard to the ground. Squirt took human form again and ran over to Dani. Dryad stepped up to the man and then raised her hands and called on her powers.

"Nothing's happening," Dryad said as she looked around at everyone.

"That's because there is no plant life anywhere." Static said as she projected scrambling field upon the mutant causing their powers to disable.

"Much better," Barbarian said as the dust storm was gone and he knelt to the ground and touched it with his hands.

The marshy water vanished to reveal that they were all standing on a giant slab of metal. Barbarian concentrated and called on his powers. The metal slab quickly bent up and started to morph all around the mutants. In an instant the metal slab hard reshaped into a giant metal ball, trapping Dani and all her students inside. Static smiled with satisfaction and then nodded at Junction. Junction took a deep breath and called on her powers causing all of them, including the giant metal ball to vanish from sight.

"Where am I?" Dani asked as she started to come to and looked around.

She was hanging from a wall, securely chained to it. Powers or not, she could not break free from this. She realized that the students were nowhere in sight. There was only one other person in the room with her and she was also chained to the wall. Dani strained in the poorly lit room and realized who the woman was. It was Cecelia Rees. The X-Men always questioned where she had vanished to, well here was the answer. She was chained up in some unknown place, like she was now. She saw a movement and looked over.

She saw three figures, all dressed in tight black leather, and painted white faces with black marking on them. There was a girl and boy, both in their twenties she's guess and the third looked to be a very young girl. All three looked very serious and mean. As they got closer she thought she recognized the older girl. If she wasn't mistaken, the older girl looked almost like the Warclan member called Elysia. If it was her, why wasn't she with the other Warclan and why was she here holding her prisoner when last she knew she had saw the X-Men as good?

"Elysia?" Dani asked.

"Shut up!" The woman shouted as she nodded at the man next to her who slapped himself across the face causing Dani to wince from the sudden pain on her right cheek.

"I love causing others to feel pain through my self inflicted wounds," the man said in a weird creepy voice.

"Dani, you and your kind are evil and must die. Because of you all, most of my clan including my brother died at Genosha. Now it will be your turn to suffer. Mason, if you will I must go get the Clan Master," Elysia said as she left the room and Dani began to choke and black out form lack of air as Mason strangled himself.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Search for Daken – Part Four**

_**Brazil – Deep Within the Jungles**_

"Anyone else think this is crazy?" Rouge said as she swatted away insects.

"If we are going to find Daken, then this is where we need to start," Sunpyre said as she didn't understand why she was so drawn to this stranger.

"I know it's hard to believe that we had a former life and with the photo and Illyana remembering and reverting back to her true self, this Daken isn't who we once knew. He's a professional assassin named Slash. He might kill us on sight," Cannonball said with true concern and wondering if leaving on this mission was a mistake.

"Yes, but if we find him maybe he can get his memories back too. I mean anyone of you could revert back the longer we are together," Mona said glancing at Illyana.

"Yeah and you can still have both lives. I remember my life up to when Moira inserted us and then I also remember being a child again and my life now. Only difference is I have been reverted back to my true powers and anything to do with Limbo and my powers have been wiped clean. Sam will be who he is but know who is real parents are as with the rest of you," Demon Child said with excitement.

"Just like Rouge will still be who she is and what she lived but then will also have her memories of her life before and validation that you a blood related to your mother instead of her just being your adopted mother. And hopefully Daken will remember his other past and it will balance him out and see us as friends. Maybe it will reveal his true parentage and that may help because I've always had this big suspicion that he is related to Wolverine somehow," Mona said as they all agreed with the similarities between the two.

"Which is another reason to be worried, the fact that the majority of your secret mutants were somehow connected to Xavier's second generation of X-Men makes that very possible and we all know how feral and dangerous Logan was in the beginning," Rouge said with concern.

"In the beginning, I think he's pretty feral and dangerous now, but we don't know if they are connected or how similar they may be," Siryn said as she looked around.

"Actually, I think both groups that Xavier recruited, his next wave of X-Men and you guys are connected some how. Nightcrawler and you Copycat or Rouge, brother and sister. Banshee and Sonic or Siryn, father and daughter. Storm and Lava Girl or Magma, cousins. Colossus and Demon Child are brother and sister as is Sunfire and Fira or Sunpyre and Thunderbird and Warpath being brothers. So we have to assume Wolverine and Daken are somehow blood related," Mona said looking at everyone.

"Wait a minute, what about Sam? There is no counterpart for him," Rouge said as the other all turned to look at Sam and then Mona.

"I never thought about that. Maybe his counter part never got recruited," Mona said thinking out loud.

"Or maybe he or she was killed and Xavier used his powers to cover it up like he did with the original X-Men's siblings and your sister's students," Siryn said as her anger with what their so called mentor had done to all of them.

"Maybe that is something we'll find out once I find out who my adoptive parents were and track down my real parents," Cannonball said with a quiet, distant tone.

"Oh, Sam," Theresa said as she suddenly found herself putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," Sam said as he patted her hand and walked away.

"So where do we begin to find Daken?" Sunpyre asked as she rose slightly in the air to look off in the distance.

"I want to find him too but you don't have to be so obsessive about it," Demon Child mumbled under her breath as Magma stared in confusion.

"Anything?" Mona asked.

"Nothing but jungle," Sunpyre said as she came back down.

"Wait, do you hear that?" Rouge asked wishing she hadn't been wiped clean and been left with some kind of power to use to defend herself.

"Sounds like something moving around us. Better power up," Demon Child laughed as she called on her new, old power.

Just like her brother she could now manipulate the matter of her own skin. While he could transform his into steel she could transform hers into a weird energy substance that made her look monstrous in appearance. She may not be able to teleport, be tied to demons, magic and Limbo but she could turn her skin into an energy substance that gave her added resistance to injury, strength, speed and agility. On top of that, she could manipulate the energy around her and on her to create a sword made of the same energy that had an explosive effect on anything it came in contact with. She really liked who she was now.

"Still not used to that," Cannonball said as he looked at his teammate in her energy form holding a sword made of energy.

"Well I could use some firepower," Rouge said as she removed her glove and briefly touched Demon Child causing her to swagger but maintained her form but lost her sword while Rouge's skin changed into a smoother energy texture.

"Hey!" Demon Child cried as she found she only had the energy to sustain her form and not create another sword.

"Oh, Illyana I barely touched you just enough to, oh my mind," Rouge said as she dropped to one knee and clutched her head.

"Rouge, are you okay?" Illyana and Sam asked at the same time.

"I, I saw all her memories the ones of us. It's….OMG I remember. I remember it all," Rouge said as they all saw the air around her shimmer and she stood up no longer energy, she was just Rouge but her skin was now blue. "I am Anna Marie Adler and without a doubt and as much as I hate to admit it, I believe my parents are Destiny and Mystique." Rogue looked at everyone as a tear ran down her face for the mother that was lost to her and the other she hated with every fiber of her being.

"Great to have you back, Copycat," Mona said as Demon Child cheered.

"Actually, for now I think I still prefer Rouge," Rouge said as she rubbed her head trying to get used to two sets of memories becoming one.

"This is getting to be way too much and too weird," Magma said as she looked at the new Rouge.

"That and it's causing you all to go crazy and lose your guard," a voice called out of the jungle as a bunch of natives with poison dart blowers fell out of the trees and in front of them unconscious.

"Jason," Cannonball smiled as the mutant known as Warpath stepped out of the trees.

"How did you find us?" Siryn asked.

"It wasn't hard. The more I thought about all this I figured I should join you guys and Cable didn't mind since we are getting nowhere with finding Shadow Nova, so Cable found you all and body slid me here," Warpath said.

"It's great to see ya fearless leader," Demon Child teased with a smile.

"Now, what are you guys doing here?" Warpath asked as he shook his head at Demon Child.

"That's what I would like to know," a man said as he stepped up behind Rouge and placed her in a headlock.

"You better let her go, mister or else," Cannonball said as he and the others powered up for battle.

"My pleasure," the man said as three bone claws shot out of Rouge's chest and then retracted as she fell face first to the ground.

"Rouge!" Mona screamed as they all looked from their fallen comrade to the man stepping into the light.

"By the way, the name's Slash and even though I let her go, I'll take the or else as well," the man with a purple Mohawk and tattoos all over his left chest and arm said as he extended three bone claws on each hand and leapt at the group of mutants.

**Next: Issue #34 – The Neo – Part Two & Secret Mutants: Search for Daken – Part Five**


	35. The Neo Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #34 – The Neo – Part Two**

_**Xavier Institute**_

_**Meeting Room**_

Xi'an breathed deeply while trying to remain calm. She was now in charge of the school and she didn't know if she was ready for it. When Sam and Dani had been appointed as Headmasters of the school when Scott and Emma left, her two friends had decided to put some protocols in place incase something were to happen. In the event both Sam and Dani were removed or compromised, Xi'an would be placed in active control with Roberto as backup. Roberto didn't like it but it was made clear that Xi'an called the shots with his input. In the event something happened to her then Roberto takes over and the next in line takes back up role and so on. Unfortunately, something did happen and now Xi'an was in charge.

First, Sam and several of the others that had been a part of a secret team of mutants had left to go find one of their missing and unknown until now friends and maybe get their memories back. This left Dani in charge of the school with Xi'an as backup. Xi'an didn't worry too much with Dani still in charge of everything but then an intruder arrived and kidnapped both Dani and a group of students. Now Xi'an was in charge and had to do everything to keep the school going and find the missing mutants without loosing control, which was hard since her sister was among the missing. She took in a deep breath, reinforced security measures and then called an emergency staff meeting.

"There are twenty students missing in all, two from each of the main squads. None of the others teams or students were touched," Skids said as she pulled up the list of all the missing students for them.

"Still no word on were Sage or Bishop have vanished to," Sunspot added.

"Then we have to assume that whoever kidnapped Dani and the students took out our two best security officers," Sean the mutant called Banshee said as he moved forward in his hoverchair.

"I agree, but no one got a good glimpse of who did this and the security cams went out during that short period of time," Xi'an began to say.

"Well, you've got to do something. They have my boy. What good are you if you can't protect these students?" Amelia cried as she looked at everyone in the room.

"Bite your tongue woman. The only reason you are in here, as is Lucinda, is that you have children missing," Banshee said as he glared at the woman.

"I'm sorry it's that I just got my son after all this time," Amelia said trying to get herself in control again.

"I understand, but don't forget, my sister is missing too and I will do what ever I can. I have the remaining Cuckoos using Cerebra to try and find their sister and the others," Xi'an said as she felt the woman's frustration and fear. "But being here is a courtesy and a chance for you to earn our trust and your sanctuary here. Don't make us regret our decision."

"Yeah, and we can throw you out of here and you know what is waiting for you out there," Sunspot said with an evil glare that shut the woman up and generated the same glare right back at him.

"I jut hope wherever Dani is, she is okay," Xi'an said as they began continued their meeting.

_**The Neo Hideout**_

"Is there any way out?" Surge asked as she looked around their prison.

"Not that I can find and with that one they called Static standing outside, we are unable to use our powers," Prodigy said as he glared at the woman holding them prisoner and then back at the rest of his classmates who, despite the battle were all alive and doing fine.

"What do you think they want with us?" Anole asked where he rubbed the stump where his right arm used to be. He had thought he would bleed to death and die but instead his wound quickly cauterized and had been itching ever since.

"If history holds true, probably to kill us all," Wiz Kid said as he recalled what they had been told about the Neo and their war on mutants.

"I don't want to die," Blindspot said as Aura hugged her siblings and glared at Wiz Kid.

"Don't worry, no one is going to die," Pixie said as she helped sooth the younger ones.

"She is right, I just wish we could figure out a way out of here," Dust said as she looked at Prodigy and Surge for suggestions.

"If only I had my powers," Surge said wanting to blast something.

"I could help with that," Nga said.

"What do you mean?" Prodigy asked as he moved closer to the boy.

"My codename is Psiblock. My mind is protected against psi based powers so my powers are not turned off," Nga said with a smile.

"What are you saying?" Wicked asked.

"My powers work differently than my two sisters. When I enter a persons mind, I put up a mental block. Which means, if I push I think I can block her psi powers, getting rid of the field and you all regain your powers," Psiblock explained.

"Why are you waiting till now to tell us this?" Eosimias asked in anger.

"I don't know," Psiblock said getting shy.

"No, you did good. By keeping it a secret you gave us the element of surprise. On my command, you hit her with all your might and we'll do the rest," Prodigy said with a smile.

_**Elsewhere in the Hideout**_

"About time you joined me," a man's voice said as Dani began to come around.

It took Dani a minute before she realized what had happened. She had been taken prisoner by the Warclan and was placed in a torture room with Cecilia Reyes. Right before she blacked out by the hands of the one called Mason, it was revealed that one of the Warclan she thought was good had become evil. Elysia who had once saw the good in mutants now wanted them and herself dead. Dani looked at the girl before her eyes turned upon the new comer in the room and the owner of the voice. The man looked familiar bit couldn't place him.

He was a large man and very muscular. His skin was purple and he wore markings of many colors all over his face and arms. His hair was buzzed short and he wore armor upon his body. He sat there and just looked at her and Dani couldn't seem to place where she knew this strange man from. The man smiled with joy as Dani's eye grew wide as she suddenly realized who the man was. He was the brother of the Warclan's leader, Domina.

"Ransome Sole?" Dani asked already knowing the answer.

"It gives me great pleasure that you remember who I am," Ransome Sole said as he moved closer to Dani.

"Why are you doing this? I thought you wanted noting to do with the Neo or your sister?" Dani asked as she found it hard to speak with a dry throat.

"Oh, that is true, but after I heard she had died and the Neo almost extinct I thought it was time for me to come back and take control," Ransome Sole said.

"As the new leader of the War Clan?" Dani asked.

"Oh, no my dear, as the Clan Master of the Neo. I sought all remaining Neo and asked them to join me and some did and the others that didn't, well let's say they are no longer living Neo," Ransome Sole laughed.

"So your slave trading your own kind now," Dani said with a horse whisper.

"No," Ransome Sole said as he back handed Dani. "I am, in the memory of my sister, taking my place back among my people and helping them rise to the glory they deserve. I have the four remaining Shockwave Rider Clan members acting as scouts for me, what's left of the War Clan acting as my warriors and the three Goth Clan here acting as my personal torturers. Unfortunately there was only one left of the Lost Souls Clan and Mord is safely tucked away till I need to trap any souls."

"Then what do you want with us?" Cecilia asked as she finally spoke up.

"Where are my students?" Dani chimed in.

"I have them locked up safely away. You see, after my sister died I discovered a strange power within myself. I believe with my three Goth here, I can combine my powers to turn mutants into Neo and once perfected I will have the ability to rebuild my people and stake our claim in the world," Ransome said as he glared at the two woman.

"By enslaving the mutant race," Dani said with disgust.

"Oh no, mutants will be our source, the human race will be left for enslavement," Ransome smiled.

"We will not be a part of your experiments," Cecilia said.

"Oh, I never intended you to be. You see, Cecilia, since you killed my sister's mate, in her honor I will kill you but have Mord trap your soul to suffer in agony for all time while Dani will be my Goth's pet to be tortured and be reminded for all your kind has made us to suffer. The students will be my test subjects and when I get it right, then we build the clan with the other mutants," Ransome Sole laughed as Dani and Cecilia looked at each other in panic and fear.

"Looks like you'll have to get past us first," Prodigy said as Dani looked up to see him and the rest of the students standing there ready for battle.

"Summon the War Clan now!" Ransome Sole shouted as the room filled with dust as Dust and the rest of the students attacked.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Search for Daken – Part Five**

_**Brazil – Deep Within the Jungles**_

"Old friend or not, you're going to pay for what you did to Rouge," Cannonball said as he shot out with his blasting field and hit the attacking Daken and took him back into the jungle.

"Is Rouge?" Warpath asked as Mona and Siryn got to her side.

"Not sure, there's so much blood," Siryn said as Mona began to cry.

"Don't count me out yet, girls," Rouge said with a smile as she coughed and then tried to get up.

"How?" Magma asked as she saw that Rouge was almost completely healed.

"Her true powers," Mona said with a smile.

"I don't understand," Siryn said as she looked at the now blue skinned Rouge.

"It's all coming back to me now. My real powers worked differently. It's a combination of both my parents, from Destiny I "see" the genetic code of the mutant power and then from my mom, instead of shape-shifting my body I can shape-shift my genetics to match that of what I saw giving me their abilities," Rouge said and then signed.

"I'm having trouble comprehending all of this," Warpath said as he watched for signs of Sam and the one called Slash.

"My sister never had a grasp on her mutant power of teleporting lives. It seems that when she sent Anna, it altered her powers as well, making them more psi-based through touch but now their back to what they were, but there are cons if you remember, Anna?" Mona said with caution.

"What is she talking about?" Magma asked as she saw Sunpyre shoot off in the direction of where Sam and Daken had gone.

"As I remember correctly, I can't control how long I obtain the powers for. I change my code to have the power and it reverts back on its own," Rouge tried to explain.

"I did tests and before the "teleport" I hadn't had the chance to find a way for her to control this. She changes her code in a sense she changes her power. Her true code and body forces the change back eventually. It could be a second form now or days. Once she changes her powers she stuck with them till her body reverts back. That is why I have always urged her to be cautious because she never knows when it will happen," Mona said as she looked to Rouge.

"At least you can touch people now without fear of hurting them," Illyana said with joy.

"Yeah, but who wants to be with a blue-skinned freak," Rouge murmured to herself as she felt fully healed now and stood on her own.

"Ahhhhhh!" Sunpyre's voice came form the trees followed by a sound of bursting fire.

"Hurry, we have to help them," Demon Child said as she shifted her skin and created her sword.

"As long as I've got them, it'll be my pleasure," Rouge said as she screamed when one large bone claw extended out from above each hand.

"Be careful," Mona called after as Demon Child, Warpath, Magma, Siryn and Rouge darted into the jungle leaving her to nervously watching all around her, ready to teleport at any given moment.

"Sam, Sam?" Sunpyre shouted as she flew with great speed.

Sunpyre didn't know what was wrong with her. She had never heard of or met this Daken before, and despite him being a known assassin by the name of Slash, she found herself drawn to him and worried about him. According to Mona and the photograph, it was as if she had feelings for the man, but if that was true she doesn't recall or have them now…or did she?

"Over here," Cannonball called out.

"Are you okay?" Sunpyre asked as she found him in a mess of leaves and landed next to him.

"Yeah, he somehow got me to pause and weaken my blast shield enough for him to swipe at me with a bone claw, making me swerve giving him leverage to throw himself off me while I crashed into a large tree," Cannonball said as he got up and quickly looked around.

"Bone claws? Then he is definitely connected to Wolverine. At least they aren't made of Adamantium or you might be dead," Sunpyre said with a chuckle as she also searched the area for this mysterious old friend turned killer.

"Which means that he probably also has a healing factor and all the other heightened abilities and senses that Wolverine has. All that plus what ever he did to get me to lighten up makes him as deadly if not deadlier than Logan," Cannonball said when suddenly Sunpyre gasped.

Cannonball turned around to see Sunpyre standing there with a surprised look on her face. Behind her was Slash with one arm wrapped around her neck with the other arms held up and his fist pressed against the side of her face with a bone claw partially sticking out from under his wrist pressing into her neck drawling a little blood. Cannonball didn't know what scared him more, that the man had snuck up and captured Sunpyre or the eye lock he had on him that told him that killing held no emotion for him. Cannonball took a small step forward but stopped when Slash spoke.

"Not another step or I extend my other two claws right into her head," Slash said with no emotion.

"Please let her go. We didn't come here to fight you," Cannonball pleaded.

"The reason you yet live is because there is some strange familiar smell about you all. Now tell me why you are here searching for me and why do you keep comparing me to this Wolverine?" Slash asked of the man he knew nothing about except for a vague sense of familiarity when the name is mentioned.

"We are here because we all used to be friends," Sunpyre said hoarsely.

"And we believe you are related to Wolverine," Cannonball added.

"I have no friends and I have no relatives for both my parents were murdered when I was a baby. I think I will kill you both, but there's something about you," Slash said as he blew into Sunpyre's ear that triggered more than her emotions.

With a heart piercing scream, Sunpyre exploded with power as her entire body became living fire and she sent out an inferno of fire out from her that not only started the nearby trees on fire but had sent Slash flying backwards completely on fire. Cannonball would have been toast as well if he hadn't generated his blast field around him to protect him from the heat. Sunpyre looked to Cannonball and then to the man that was rolling on the ground on fire. She gasped in horror at what she had done to Daken, but saw his body was healing as fast as he rolled around putting himself out. She then looked at her body made of pure fire and then looked up as something came bursting out of the jungle.

"What the, Leyu?" Rouge asked as she and the others discovered their friend now made of fire and the man known as Slash lay on the ground, charbroiled but healing before their eyes.

"I remember everything. My two lives aren't much different. The only thing new that I remember is my time with you guys and," Sunpyre started to say when Demon Child dashed at her suddenly.

"Fira, the real you is back," Illyana said as she interrupted Sunpyre with a huge kiss.

"Whoa, wasn't expecting that," Cannonball said with amazement.

"Illyana, what are you doing?" Sunpyre asked as she pushed the energy skinned girl away from her flaming body.

"Leyu, I thought you remembered everything?" Demon Girl asked with a sad tone in her voice.

"I do, but I recall you never wanting to have it known to the others," Sunpyre said as she realized everyone was staring at them.

"I know, but the time and place we are at now and everything we've been through or thought lost, I figure we shouldn't hide it anymore," Demon Child said with desperation.

"I am different now. I remember my feelings for you but I also remember…can we talk about this later?" Sunpyre said stumbling on her words as Illyana caught her looking at Daken.

"Looks like your sweet is sweet on me," Slash laughed as they all turned to the man now standing and almost completely healed.

"Shut up!" Demon Child shouted as she ran at the man with her sword.

"Oh, I'm gonna love this," Slash said as he flipped his wrists causing his claws to extend on each hand, two form the upper knuckles and one under his wrist.

"Daken, Illyana please. We are all friends," Sunpyre pleaded to the two who were racing at each other for battle.

Slash was about to leap when he heard the woman made of fire call him Daken. He did not go by this name but it being called out from her lips suddenly gave him enough déjà vu to hesitate. At that moment, Demon Child swung her sword and hit Slash causing him to fly backwards in an explosion of energy. Slash quickly got back to his feet to see that he now faced the whole group.

"My curiosity is now gone. All that is left is the pure enjoyment of gutting all of you," Slash said as he charged at the group of mutants.

_**Epilogue**_

"Master, if I may. Why have you sent these mutants into the hands of Slash when you have gone to such lengths to keep him and his knowledge of his father from him?" A tall, skinny and fury man with yellow pupils asked.

"Because they have a scent about them that matches that of Akihiro and I want to know what this connection is. I have controlled and monitored everything about the man called Wolverine. I know everything about his life except one thing, how his son came into my hands," Romulus said with a snarl.

"I don't understand. You arrived at the right moment and removed him from his dead mother's womb and raised him as a lethal killer his whole life," the fury man asked.

"I remember being there but I don't know how I knew to be there. Every sense in my body has always told me that me finding him was never supposed to have happened and it has something to do with my old colleague. It has his sent all over this as well as this sent all those mutants share with Akihiro. This way I might finally learn the answer to my suspicions and where I failed with Wolverine maybe I can succeed with his son," Romulus said with a sneer as his attempt to arrange Howlett's joining of the X-Men as a sleeper assassin had failed when it backfired and James had somehow, probably Xavier's doing, had broke his conditioning and became their friend and ally.

"What if Slash kills them all and you can't plant him into the X-Men? Or they kill Slash?" The fury man asked.

"Then so be it. I have other methods of getting my answers and revenge upon Benjamin Xavier and his clan," Romulus said with a deep smile as he watched Slash's first meeting with the mutants on one monitor while glancing at other monitors that showed a young child in the Savage Land, Wolverine fighting along side Alpha Flight, Wolfsbane and Wolfcub moving about the Xavier Institute and various other people and feral based figures throughout the world.

**Next: Issue #35 – The Neo – Part Three & Secret Mutants: Search for Daken – Part Six**


	36. The Neo Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #35 – The Neo – Part Three**

_**The Neo Hideout**_

"How?" Dani asked as she saw her students rushing in and she felt glad to see them but feared for their lives.

"It seems good ol' Psiblock here has developed her powers," Prodigy said as he quickly filled Dani in on how they broke out of their cell and Celeste mentally forced Static to sleep and they bound her up before arriving here.

"Ms. Moonstar, look! Now that my powers are turned back on it appears my arm is growing back!" Anole screamed with excitement as he held up arm to show Dani that it appeared his arm was slowing growing back.

"I can't believe that a bunch of children dare challenge me," Ransome Sole laughed.

"Shall we deal with them?" Elysia asked as she stared at Dani.

"No, the War Clan is here. I want you three to stand by me and only attack to defend yourselves," Ransome Sole said as he waited the joy of watching his clan crush the mutant children.

"As you wish, master," Elysia said as Dani swore she saw a sign of relief. Had her pleadings gotten to her once again?

"Oh, and try and keep some alive for testing," Ransome Sole said as the War Clan burst into the room.

"Do as we planed," Prodigy said as Celeste suddenly put all of them in psi-communication so he could help instruct while standing near the cage with the lesser powered students to try and keep them safe.

While Dust swarmed around making it hard for the Neo to physically see them all, Blindspot huddled around Prodigy, Celeste and the others pushing with her might to make her field around them so that they would be invisible to any other means of detection. Prodigy knew that they might be out powered, but if he coordinated everything perfectly and they worked as a team they just might pull this off, free Dani and get out of this alive and unharmed. If he remembered everything correctly he knew what the War Clan's first strike would be.

_Wiz Kid, now! _Prodigy thought out as Barbarian and Kilmer's guns ripped from their hands and reshaped into added material for the suit of armor Wiz Kid was forming around himself.

"We don't need weapons, we are weapons," Kilmer said as his hands morphed into long sharp blades.

"I will crush you," Antus said as he began to draw in on the elemental energy of Dust and began to get stronger.

"I don't need to see you to kill you," Barbarian said through the dust as he touched the ground and started to make the floor below the students begin to morph and change.

"First blood will be…argh," Junction began to say when she appeared out of thin air over Dryad with her knife drawn but was cut off when she was immediately hit with a powerful dose of electricity from Surge.

"Thanks for the two second warning, Preview," Surge said as she shut down her powers allowing Junction to fall to the ground unconscious.

With a mental command, Dryad then called on her powers. Thanks to Barbarian morphing the ground he had shifted it enough to allow her to get her plants through. At her command, large giant blades for grass and vines broke through the floor wrapping Barbarian, Antus and Kilmer in their bondage and holding them, struggling in the air. Dryad kept pushing making sure her plants grew big enough to be strong enough to hold them but that she also had enough called to securely hold them as well. Kilmer was the only one that was able to break free.

Using his bladed hands, Kilmer sliced the plants and freed himself. He then leapt with great strength and speed pointing his bladed hands as he went straight for Aura. Dani and Prodigy watched in horror as there was nothing they could do fast enough to stop those blades from striking Aura or any of the others right next to her. Just as Kilmer was upon Aura, Dani saw the most amazing thing. As Aura began to scream with fear and anger, her aura appeared around her, but instead of her usual color that gave her flight it became a deep and muddied red. Kilmer screamed in pain as his blades hit, snapped sideways and his body was instantly repelled backwards. Aura stood unharmed while Kilmer now rolled on the floor nursing both arms that had reverted back and were both clearly broken. Aura was amazed at what happened as her aura vanished while Dani hated herself for not seeing the real source of the girl's powers. If they got out of this alive, she would properly make sure the girl was trained form be a defensive flier to an offensive warrior.

"Melody, how did you do that?" Blindspot asked.

"I don't know," Aura answered still in shock.

Pixie quickly flew over the plant bound New and released her dust upon them. The Neo instantly began to hallucinate and reduced their struggling to break free making it easier for Dryad to hold them. Dani couldn't believe it, the students were winning. She just needed to get free so she could help them but the Neo named Mason only allowed her enough air to stay conscious let alone even must up any strength to call on her powers. She sent a thought to Celeste for her to take out Mason. Celeste nodded and pushed out with her mind. Dani suddenly could breath as Mason released his hands from around his own neck, Celeste had done it. Dani then gasped as Mason slapped his hands back around his neck and not only began chocking Dani and Cecilia but Celeste as well.

"I'm taking that freak down," Wicked said as she moved towards the one called Mason calling on her powers and summoning spirits to her.

"Pandora, no," Elysia said as she reached for her fellow Goth but was shrugged off.

The little girl called Pandora stepped between Mason and Wicked. She closed her eyes and called forth her powers. The spirits and Wicked's power seemed to flow right into Pandora like a large vacuum and she couldn't even shut her powers off. Just as quickly, she felt the pull stop and Wicked looked up to see the girl standing there with her eyes closed in the middle of what looked like a holographic box made of energy. Pandora's eyes suddenly shot open with great force as the holographic box's lid did flipped open at the exact same instant. There was a great roar of power as spirits and apparitions poured out of the box taking on great evil forms attacking Wicked. Pandora smiled as the box vanished and she watched Wicked try and fend off the very solid spirits.

"We have to help her," Eosimias said as he took flight and used his claws to slice into the ghosts causing them to vanish while Wicked tried to cut off the empathic pain from herself.

Species transformed his skin to that of a panther's and called on his ability to mimic it's ability and helped tear into the evil spirits as Wiz Kid used his self made armor to help in the battle. Other went and joined in the battle as Squirt melted and slid under the cage and reformed and started to untie Dani and Cecilia. It seemed no matter how hard they all tried they couldn't take down these spirits. Pandora had somehow taken Wiked's power and twisted it into something more powerful and more evil. There was no way they could stop them without hurting Wicked in the process. They had to stop it at the source and that is what hit Sling Snot when he glanced at the evil little girl.

Sling Snot took a deep breath and summed his powers and forced himself to sneeze. Trying to push himself like never before he managed to produce and shoot a large quantity of mucus from his body. The large mass hit Pandora completely covering her face and knocking her to the ground. As the girl tried to scream and claw the mucus from her face so she could breath, her connection was severed and the spirits vanished, freeing Wicked and the others from their battle. Sling Snot smiled, proud that he had proven himself fighting with the X-Men and not being a Morlock mess up.

"I've had enough. All of you stop right now. You so much as blink and I will crush his neck killing him and all three of your friends that are linked to him," Ransome Sole said as he grabbed Mason by the neck with one hand causing everyone to stop and stair at Dani, Celeste and Cecilia who were all gasping for air as this windpipes began to close.

"Why are you doing this? We've never done anything to you," Anole said as he stared down the large man.

"Because I can," Ransome said with a smile.

"If we promise to surrender will you let our friends go?" Prodigy asked as he moved towards the Clan Master patting a student on the back as he passed.

"Actually, I have all the power here," Ransome laughed as he twisted his hand snapping Mason's neck.

"No!" Elysia and the students all screamed in shock as Mason's body dropped to the ground and they saw Celeste, Cecilia and Dani's bodies jerk backwards.

"Now, to take care of you little pests," Ransome Sole said as he started to move towards the students.

"Not on my watch," Dani sprang to her feet, calling on all her strength and power to manifest a bow and psychic arrow and fire it off hitting Ransome dead on in his forehead causing him to hit the ground twitching.

"They're alive!" Blindspot cheered as she saw Cecilia and Celeste get to their feet.

"Yes, thanks to Psiblock, he went in and blocked his powers freeing them," Prodigy said with a smile.

"No time for that. Celeste, before he recovers shut his mind down," Dani commanded as Celeste pushed with her mind.

"I don't know if I can do it," Celeste said not wanting to accidently kill someone.

"Don't worry, I can," Elysia said as she took a sword and drove it hard into Ransome's neck severing his head.

"Why?" Dani asked as she stared at the young Neo.

"Because, even though I do not forgive the death of my brother, you are not evil and he was leading my people into the wrong path. By doing this I have claimed leadership of the Clans," Elysia said as she snapped her fingers and all the War Clan in the room stopped and bowed to her and stepped back.

"Does this mean you will let us go?" Dani asked as she eyed the young woman.

"You can't," Barbarian said growing angry.

"As Clan Leader she can and we will obey," Static said as she walked into the room preparing to use her powers to back up her old friend.

"Yes, you are all free to go if you promise to also leave our kind alone. I will take the Neo and we will go off and rebuild our people in isolation," Elysia said as Dani agreed.

Dani felt the need for payback, but Elysia had helped them before in the past and did so again. Maybe this time the Neo and the mutants can part and live in peace. As soon as everyone was gathered together and Junction had come to, she used her powers to teleport them all home.

_**Epilogue**_

"So how are the kids doing?" Dani said as Xi'an walked in.

"They are just fine. They are more into bragging about how they all stood their own against a group of badies," Xi'an said as she sat down, relieved to have Dani back.

"I was impressed with them. They have done well and also made me see that we also have so much more to do," Dani said thinking of Aura and Anole's regenerating limb that as clearly half way grown back.

"Yes, I didn't even know the extent of my sisters powers till you told what she did. I guess I've been so caught up with everything here that I've neglected to look into and evaluate my siblings," Xi'an said feeling a bit guilty.

"A lot keeps happening and drawing our attention all the time. I've made sure and Sean has helped in making sure we have better security measures in place. Trust me, next person to teleport in will have one unpleasant surprise," Dani said.

"Speaking of, since Sage and Bishop weren't with you, I wonder what happened to them," Xi'an said as three figures entered the doorway.

"We can answer that," the Cuckoos said in unison.

"What are you talking about?" Dani asked sitting up quickly.

"While we were using Cerebra to look for our sister we kept catching a very tiny blip that we could never find when we tried so we didn't pay attention to it till Celeste got back and joined us," Mindee said.

"Once she joined us we got together and snuck Boost into the room to give our powers a boost," Phoebe added.

"For a half a second we found the blip and clearly felt it before we lost it and no matter how much we tried we couldn't find it, not even the small blip," Celeste said.

"What was it?" Dani asked growing impatient.

"It was Sage and Bishop's minds and we felt where they are being held," Mindee answered.

"Girls, spit it out. Where are they?" Xi'an said as she and Dani approached them with intensity.

"They are here at the mansion and they've been here the whole time," the Cuckoos all said at once.

_**Epilogue Two**_

"I don't feel right about this," Elysia said as she sat in her room as the rest of the Neo prepared their move.

"Don't worry, child. Except for the loss of Mason everything went as planned. Ransome Sole is gone and you are now in control of the Neo and I not only got to see these mutants in action but was able to tag and plant my devise amongst them," a strange figure whispered to her from the darkness.

"I feel like I'm no better than Ransome Sole," Elysia said.

"I will give the Neo a better home and chance of survival than they would have gotten. By pledging you and your Neo to me, I will do everything in my power to give your brother back to you. That is what you wanted," the voice said with a laugh and then faded away.

"But at what cost?" Elysia whispered as a tear slowly ran down her cheek.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Search for Daken – Part Six**

_**Brazil – Deep Within the Jungles**_

"Back off killer!" Siryn shouted as she used her sonic scream to send Slash flying backwards covering his ears.

"Are you sure he's even worth this?" Cannonball asked as he watched the trained assassin sit up and shake his head.

"No, he used to be a teammate and friend to us. We have to give him the chance to remember like the rest of us," Rouge said as she leapt at the man and pinned him to the ground with her body.

"Sometimes people are lost to us. Maybe we should cut our losses with him. He's far too dangerous," Magma said as she reached into the core of the Earth waiting to release her power if needed.

"I agree, let's forget about him," Demon Child said as she glared at Slash.

"No, now that I remember I also remember that he was not evil. It's not his fault that when he got reinserted into a new life that he would be taken down this path. We all happened get lucky. Even Rouge's new life led her down a path of evil till she reformed. He deserves the same chance," Sunpyre said as she gave a mean look to Illyana and then softened as she looked to Daken as her heart and mind now both remembered.

"So darlin', how about we head off somewhere and get better acquainted?" Slash whispered up to the woman sitting atop of him.

"You wish. You see, I got your powers so this pheromone thing you're doing won't affect me. Now how about we talk things out here?" Rouge asked trying to push him with pheromones too.

"Maybe a rain check?" Slash asked as he brought his knee up into her gut.

Rouge heard the claws extending and using her enhanced speed, strength and agility she pushed herself off of Slash. She flew into a back flip just as Slash swiped at her with both of his bone claws. Rouge landed in front of her teammates and went directly to one knee grunting in pain. She held her side as she looked down and saw that there was a gash in her side and she was starting to loose a lot of blood. She hadn't been fast enough to escape his claws but she was thankful she had moved quick enough to avoid an instant fatal wound.

"Rouge, you're bleeding," Cannonball said as he knelt to her side.

"Don't worry, the healing factor," Rouge began to say and then paused when she realized she was still bleeding and beginning to feel faint.

"Anna, you're not healing. His powers must have worn off. Hurry and copy them before you bleed to death," Demon Child said in fright.

"I can't. He has to be within my line of sight," Rouge said as they all realized Slash was nowhere to be seen.

"Amara, quick do something!" Sam shouted at Magma.

"There isn't time. Rouge, copy my powers. Now that I have my memories and original powers back you will be able to turn into living fire," Sunpyre said.

Rouge felt herself fading fast and called on her powers. With her gift of sight, she mentally saw Sunpyre's genetic code and then summoned her other power to shape shift her genetic makeup to match her teammate's instantly giving her the ability to copy her powers. At that moment, Rouge felt the fire burning within and she let it consume her as everyone fell back as she exploded into flame. Rouge felt weird standing there now made of living fire but relieved it had worked and she was no longer bleeding to death.

"I can still feel the pain in my side but other than that I'm no longer dying," Rouge smiled as she rose into the air a little.

"Guess that plan failed," Slash said as he leapt out of the trees grabbing Sunpyre from behind and putting his knuckle against her temple.

"Quick, let's fry him," Rouge called out to Sunpyre as she pumped up her flame.

"I wouldn't do that. If she so much as starts to heat up, well I guess we'll see if she can change faster than I can put a claw through her skull," Slash said as everyone stopped in their tracks.

For one facing death, Leyu wasn't scared. This was a cold blooded killer, but yet she was still alive and unharmed. She suddenly realized that he could feel the connection between the two of them. With all her heart, she knew he must realize that he once felt something for her as she knew she had and once again felt for him. Taking a chance and having nothing to loose at this point, Leyu acted upon instinct. With a quick motion she spun around to face Slash as she batted his arm away with one hand and pulled his head into hers with the other forcing them into a major lip lock.

Cannonball and the others stood in shock and then fear as they saw the two kiss and Slash's swatted arm extracting a claw and swinging back down towards Sunpyre's gut. Everyone, including Leyu was surprised when at the last second Slash retracted his claw and instead of stabbing her grabbed hold and leaned into the kiss even more. Illyana fought back her anger and tears as she watched the two kiss. Before she could react further, Slash shoved Sunpyre away from him as he held his head and grunted in pain.

"Daken?" Leyu asked as she motioned for everyone to stand down.

"I, Leyu? I remember everything," Slash whispered as he stared deeply at Sunpyre while rubbing his temples vigorously.

"Be careful, it could be a trick," Warpath said watching the man carefully.

"No, I can feel it. The pheromones are gone as the real Daken returns," Sunpyre said moving closer.

"Who would have thought, after all this time I finally get the kiss you've been dying to give me," Slash said with a smile as he looked at Leyu and then turned to face the others.

"Is that really you, Daken?" Mona asked stepping out of hiding already knowing the answer by the facial expressions that she remembered from long ago.

"Yes, I remember all of you, Mona, Sam, Anna, Theresa, Amara, Illyana and Jason," Slash said as he looked at and recited each of their names.

"Seems everyone's getting their memories back but us," Amara murmured to Theresa.

"Take it easy, it's a lot to take in all at once," Leyu said as she suddenly longed to run back into his arms.

"My head is pounding as I fight two lives' memories. I remember being found and trained by my master, but I also remember being found by another man, then meeting Charles Xavier and being brought to you guys and everything we all went through," Slash said trying to make sense of it all.

"Now you can give up this life of killing and come back with us," Leyu said with hope.

"Great," Illyana said to herself and Sam and Jason began to wonder if that would be wise or if this professional assassin could be trusted.

"I don't know. I feel a loyalty to my master, but yet my new old memories tell me much of what he told me and the life I've lead is a lie. He told me parents are dead, but my gut from my former life tells me something else," Slash said as the killer instinct was still in him but another part of him was trying to pull him away from his current life and back to his old one with them and with Leyu.

"We are all in search of the memories and lives we lost. Why don't you come with us and maybe we can all make sense of this?" Mona said as she gave her former student the cliff notes version of their mission and experiences so far.

"Hard to believe, especially since I don't recall any of this like most of you do now," Sam said as he really didn't like the idea of this killer hanging with them. He may now remember being their friend but he was still a killer.

"Well it seems I have better judgment now and my instinct is telling me that my master may have been hiding things from me. My best option to get answers, for now, is to talk with Charles and the one person my master has always avoided talking about and keeping me away from, Wolverine," Slash said as the two sets of memories showed him conflicts in the things Romulus has told him making him doubt his loyalty to him and that there was something more connected to his lack of memories and Charles Xavier and this person called Wolverine.

"Maybe it's because, like we suspect, you're related to him?" Rouge asked as she wondered how much longer she would be stuck in fire form.

"We shall see. I have a lot to deal with and sort out, but, for now I will join. Where are you headed?" Slash asked.

"To try and find Sam's real parents," Leyu answered.

"All I have is this address to go by," Sam said holding out the folded piece of paper still not too sure about the man in front of him.

"I know where this is. I can take you there," Slash said looking up at Sam.

"How is that possible?" Theresa asked with suspicion.

"Because I never forget the face or the place of one of my marks," Slash said as they all looked at him with horror.

**Next: Issue #36 – What's Behind Xavier's Door & Secret Mutants: Family Heritage – Part One**


	37. What's Behind Xavier's Door

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #36 – What's Behind Xavier's Door**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters**_

_**Cerebra**_

"So they've been here the whole time?" Sunspot asked as he stared at the group assembled in front of the great mutant detecting devise.

"According to what little the Cuckoos had picked up on," Wolfsbane said as she tried to keep up with what was going on.

Rahne couldn't believe how there's never a dull moment around the place. No sooner had they survived the attack from the Modifier on the Morlocks then Sam and the others go off to find a missing mutant and Dani and a handful of students get abducted by the Neo. Dani and the kids return safely and they find out that the missing mutants, Sage and Bishop have been detected here at the mansion. Dani had spent the last hour with the Cuckoos in here trying to find them while she and the rest of the staff searched the mansion and grounds and neither could find a trace of the two mutants anywhere. Dani wasn't sure what to do until Prodigy came up with an idea that might push them to the limit but it just might do the trick.

First they gathered all the psi and tek related mutants so they could add and amplify the Cuckoos and Cerebra's abilities. Dani, Xi'an and the three Cuckoos stood anchor between Cerebra and the rest of the mutants while Prodigy gave out the plan and instructions. Among the other students were Preview, Blindfold, Shield and Shove Jean Grey's nephew and niece, Wiz Kid, Xi'an's brother and sister, M, and Hellion. They then added a few other mutants to add to their power. Synch and Network to help with connecting everyone together, Grid, like Network would help with detection, Hub for teleportational purposes and to reach other planes and aspects they added Trance, Aura and Wicked. Lastly, they had Boost whose main job was to give them all the added power they needed. Rahne could feel and see the amount of power in the room as they began their search.

"Are we getting anything?" Dani asked as she felt the strain in the room.

"Yes and no. Even with Grid, we are getting small glimpses but it vanishes before we can truly see it. It's as if there is another mind working hard to keep us out," the Cuckoos said in unison.

"We need to push harder," Dani said when she suddenly felt a weird mental heat.

"I feel it too," Xi'an said as they all turned and gasped in shock.

A weird energy was flowing around Joey and Gailyn Bailey. Just like their once living aunt, a fiery image of a burning Phoenix hovered over each of them. Unlike Jean, theirs were smaller and seemed weaker, but not by much since they were trying to work together. Dani didn't know if she should be in awe or scared that the Phoenix appeared to be back times two. Dani moved towards the two young students when power burst from their eyes and they both let out a bird-like scream. At that same moment, someone else not of their group, screamed out in pain. The Cuckoos called out in victory as a portal revealing a doorway appeared. Instantly, the Baileys turned to face Hub and with a burst of energy pushed her to unleash her powers and ignite a mass teleport. Dani held her breath as everything went red then white.

"Sorry father, I tried but I couldn't keep them all out," a voice said as Dani got her vision back.

Dani saw that she was standing in a totally different room with the Cuckoos, Hub, the Baileys, Xi'an, Psiblock, Sunspot and Wolfsbane. She had felt something trying to hold them back but it looked like a few of them made it through. She wasn't sure where she was but it was a narrow corridor that lead to another door that was open with a bright light coming from it and a figure standing in the entry way. Dani could tell that is was a man in his late teens or early twenties. It was hard to tell with his completely bald head but Dani figured he couldn't be all that much younger than she was. He had weird black markings by his eyes and small wing-like feathers that stretched under his arms. Dani thought he held the characteristics of the Shi'ar. The young man moved towards them.

"Father will not be happy at all that you are in here," the man said to them all.

"You can quit trying to enter our minds, it's not going to work against us," the Cuckoos said as they glanced towards Xi'an's little sister who was blocking the stranger's powers from altering their memories.

"Oh man, he will not be pleased, no he won't," the young man said as he paced nervously.

"Who are you and who's your father?" Dani asked as she had already guessed based on the boys facial features.

"Well, Dani, I am Lilandro and Charles Xavier is my father," Lilandro said as he saw all their mouths drop open.

"Lilandro?" Xi'an whispered to Dani as the codename that was given to them to use when needing financial help started to make some sense.

"If you are Charles' son, then why are you here, wherever here is?" Sunspot asked.

"I don't know if I should be talking to you," Lilandro said as he continued to pace.

"Its okay, Lilandro. We are trusted friends and students of Charles. You can talk to us," Dani said as she looked at the frightened boy.

"Yes, but you are angry at him and desperately trying to uncover my father's secrets," Lilandro said as Dani stared at the boy who definitely had inherited his father's gifts.

"What secrets? You and Sam keeping things from us?" Sunspot asked.

"There's the kettle talking. I'm sure you were upfront about what Emma had wanted you, Rouge, Sage and Bishop to search for here," Lilandro laughed.

"What secrets? What are you up to Roberto?" Rahne asked with a growl.

"Emma was looking for my father's secret room and Roberto is a plant put here by her and the Hellfire club to find it. Rouge, Sage and Bishop agreed to help but their intents were to find it to keep it from Emma and double cross her. He was the only on ready to betray you all," Lilandro said.

"He's lying," Sunspot shouted.

"No he's not," the Cuckoos said as they stared at Roberto and then over to Dani.

"That's enough. We'll deal with you later. Lilandro, I want to know what is going on here and what is so important about this room," Dani said as she stared at the man.

"I was born of the Shi'ar. My mother is Lilandra, their ruler. I never knew who my father was and I guess because of my genetic makeup who I was remained a secret to all Shi'ar. Then one day I started to develop mental powers that I couldn't control when I hit thirteen of your Earth years. My mother knew I couldn't be kept secret no longer and told me of my Earth father and contacted him.

"He was shocked that Lilandra had kept me from him. My father soon agreed to bring me back to Earth and train me and help keep me secret from the Shi'ar. As we left, I felt my father do something to my mother. I believe he erased me from her memories and I could tell he did it for my own good. He brought me back here to this room he created that uses Shi'ar technology to hide on a different plane.

"Here he raised me and trained me in my powers and told me to keep myself hidden for my safety from his many enemies. So here I sat helping my father and protecting his secrets," Lilandro said.

"What kind of father keeps his son locked away in a room isolated from people for years?" Joey Bailey asked with genuine concern and sadness.

"Actually, I don't mind. My father gave me everything I ever needed as long as I kept this place hidden and helped handle all his financials and investments," Lilandro said with true pride.

"You do know your father has gone missing?" Dani asked looked at the young man.

"Yes, he and a bunch of X-Men headed into space. They vanished somewhere. I know he's alive out there somewhere. If he had died I would have felt it," Lilandro said.

"So you pretty much know everything about us?" Sunspot asked uneasily.

"Yeah, better than, what do you call it, oh yea, television," Lilandro smiled.

"Creepy," Hub whispered.

"Don't worry, I don't invade people's minds or mess with them like my father does. I truly believe in using my gifts for good," Lilandro said.

"Then how do you know about Emma and the others?" Xi'an asked as she gave Roberto a look.

"I only use my powers when defending this place here. When Sage, Bishop and the others tried to get in I used my powers to protect this place. When Sage and Bishop made it in, between my powers and their talking, I gathered all that I told you from them," Lilandro said.

"So, they are here?" Dani asked urgently.

"Yes, I've been holding them in my father's room. No one has ever come here before so I decided to keep them here till father came home," Lilandro said.

"Take us to them, please. You can trust me. Look into my mind if you need to," Dani said as she smiled.

"I, okay, but dad may not like it," Lilandro said as he led them all down the corridor and into the room at the other end.

"Who knows where dad is or if he's coming back, right?" Hub chuckled as Rahne elbowed her.

They entered the room and Dani couldn't believe what she was seeing. It looked like a mini apartment with high-tech upgrades. Off to the one side was a huge wall with dozens of monitors that allowed them to watch everything from anywhere around the world to about every inch of the mansion. Dani glanced over and lying on a bed was Bishop and Sage, out cold. Dani and Xi'an moved quickly near them and checked for pulses. They both sighed in relief as they got clear strong pulses. At least her worst fears were put aside.

"Don't worry. I didn't hurt them. They are only sleeping," Lilandro said nervously.

"Can you wake them?" Dani asked.

"Yes, but do you think it is wise to do that before you leave?" Lilandro asked with concern in his voice.

"I think he's right. They might not be so forgiving and if what he says about their and Emma's motives it might be best," Xi'an said to Dani.

"I don't believe this. According to these files, Xavier not only has loads of money, but he's financed, backed or had a hand in all kinds of things and groups," Sunspot said as he typed away.

"Oh, you shouldn't be doing that," Lilandro said growing very concerned and serious.

"Roberto, step away from that, we promised him he could trust us," Dani said with irritation towards the man.

"But, there's files linking him to the MLF and even the Weapon Plus program," Sunspot said as he felt himself being forced to step back.

"I said, step away from the computer," Lilandro said with a push of his mind. "I don't understand a lot of that stuff but father said it was all part of his goal for mutant and human coexistence," Lilandro said growing softer as he looked at Dani.

"Sometimes you have to build peace by creating something that threatens it," Rahne said as Dani and Xi'an unwillingly nodded in agreement.

"So what other secrets does this place and Xavier holding?" Roberto asked as he was _gently_ moved away form the computer while Lilandro closed a bunch of screens.

"As much as I trust you, I can't betray my father by letting you have access to his stuff here," Lilandro said looking to Dani.

"We would never ask you to, either. So what do you do for fun?" Dani asked with a smile.

"Right now I am working on a project my father calls, the Rise of the Phoenix," Lilandro said and realized he shouldn't have when he saw the look on everyone's face.

"Lilandro, what does your father have you working on?" Dani asked as she caught Lilandro glancing at the Bailey kids.

"When Jean died, very sad, it truly left her for good. As much as Scott believed she would come back, dad knew she wouldn't this time. With the dramatic way Jean died, the Force was being dissolved or whisked away by something or someone. If it wasn't for her daughter Rachel, it would have but she served as an anchor for it.

"Since my father was gone, my job was to monitor and track where it goes. When Rachel and the rest of X-Calibur died, something happened in that magical moment. The Phoenix Force was ripped from her and it was ripped into four pieces and was scattered. I've been working all this time to find where each piece went. Separated like this the Force highly weakened and can only add mild boosts in power, not like it did when Jean had it all," Lilandro explained as he found it easy to talk to Dani.

"So do you know where it went? Is it?" Xi'an began to ask as they glanced at the Bailey kids.

"Yes, you are correct. One piece of the Force went into each of Jean's nephew and niece there. That is what distracted me enough to allow some of you to get in here. A third piece went into Jean's sister Sway before she headed back into space. With her that far gone, it has permanently grounded and weakened the separate pieces," Lilandro said.

"We have another aunt?" Gailyn asked as she and her brother's eyes went wide.

"Yes, a story for another time," Dani said quickly, "what about the fourth?"

"Haven't found it yet," Lilandro said as he saw the disappointment and interest behind Sunspot's eyes.

"Lilandro, I know you are supposed to stay here, but you are welcomed to come back and live at the mansion with us. Will be safe with us, trust me," Dani said as she extended her hand to the human-Shi'ar hybrid.

"I…okay I'll come. I can always come back here and check on things when I need to. Just understand, until my dad gets back I can't let you in here or access to his files," Lilandro said as Dani smiled while he sent the mental command for Sage and Bishop to wake up and then teleported them all back into the mansion.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Family Heritage – Part One**

_**San Diego, California**_

Mona sat back exhausted. It had been a long time since she used her teleportation powers so much. After finding Daken, now being called Slash, and getting his memories back he was willing to join along with them for now. She could tell he was going through a lot of emotions. He grew up being trained as an assassin and ruthless killer by a man called Romulus who had led him to believe his parents were dead. Now he had his real memories, one of being raised as a thief on the streets and then becoming a part of her Secret Mutants as a savage fighter but not a killer. Now the man had an internal fight going on. One side wanting him to be a heartless killer he was raised to be and the other wanting the life he once had before being implanted into a new life. He chose to keep his nickname of Slash since he was never fond of Wild Child but was now referring to himself as his old birth name of Daken Akihiro. She just hoped of the two, the Daken they all once new would win out.

They had come to California because Daken had a knack for remembering his marks. He especially remembered the address Sam had because this was a very important mark Romulus had sent him on. It seemed that during a business overseas, Jack Connors had stolen something that had belonged to Romulus. Jack had went back home to San Diego thinking he had gotten away with it unnoticed until Slash had showed up, took the item back while killing Jack and setting fire to his office before leaving. They had asked Daken what the item was but Slash did not know or care. He was told by his former master to retrieve the item, kill the man and destroy any traces of anything related to the taking of the item and that is just what he did.. All he remembered was that the item looked like a small piece from a stone or a statue of some sort. When he gave the item back to Romulus he was rewarded and that was the end of it

With the help of Slash, they had come to San Diego, California and stood on top of a hill looking down at the house that matched the address given to Sam. The house belonged to Jack and Sally Connors where almost five years ago Slash had come and put an end to Jack's life. It was clear to them all that the house had been redone and there were no traces that it had been set on fire. Slash knew nothing further about the Connors but the lingering questions is what ties they had to Sam Guthrie. This address was tied to Sam's name in Xavier's files and their last name was the same last name Sam had had in his previous life according to Mona and those that now had their memories back. Could the people that had lived in that house below be his true parents? Sam wished more than anything that he had his memories back too then he would know what to believe.

"You think these were your real parents?" Theresa asked as she put her hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I don't know," Sam whispered.

"Sorry I killed your dad, I didn't know. If it's any consolation, from what I remember, they were only your foster parents," Slash said as Sam turned and stared at the man with anger.

"You heartless," Warpath said balling his hand into a fist.

"Stop it, all of you," Leyu, now deciding to go back to her original codename of Fira said coming to Daken's defense.

"I don't condone killing, but that was Daken's old life before he got his memories back and who he really is. He like all of you has had your lives turned upside down by my sister and Charles Xavier. We have to stick together," Mona said as the tension began to dissolve a little bit.

"I guess I really have no idea whether those people down there are my parents or not. All I remember is growing up with my parents and brothers and sisters in Kentucky. I don't know what to believe," Sam said as he realized if it was true he would never get to meet his real dad.

"Mona, is there anything more you can tell us about where Sam came from?" Rouge asked as she was now normal after finally having her fire powers go off and then take Daken's again so she could heal herself before losing those powers again.

"All Charles told me was that he brought him from his foster home. Discovering what we have, Charles could have made that up. They could be his real parents or foster parents, but either way I have to assume Charles had altered their memories and Sam's before bringing him to me. All I know is Sam has some connection to the Connors and there is only one way to find out," Mona said as she motioned to the house below.

"So do we just all march down there and ring the doorbell?" Magma asked with sarcasm.

"No, if anyone is still living there it might scare them and I think it might be best if Slash not go since you know," Demon Child suggested as she continued to glare at how close Slash and Fira were growing in such a short time.

"Sam and I will go for sure since I can teleport us out in a hurry," Mona said as Sam nodded.

"I will go too," Siryn added.

It was decided that Slash would stay behind as would Fira to help keep _in line _while Demon Child offered to stay behind as well. Because of her blue skin, Rouge thought it best to stay behind as well. Warpath and Magma offered to stay behind to keep an eye on everyone since sending three down to the house would seem less conspicuous and threatening. With that, Sam, Theresa and Mona teleported a safe distance down and then casually walked the rest of the way to the Connor's house. Once they got there, Sam took a deep breath, let out a sigh and nervously rang the door bell. They didn't know if the Connors even still lived there and had no idea what to expect. All Sam knew was by ringing the door bell things were about to change for him.

"Hi, can I help you?" A man with dark black hair and blue eyes in about his twenties asked when he opened the front door.

"Hi, my name is Sam Guthrie and this is Theresa and Mona and I know this might seem odd but we were wondering if some old friends of ours still lived here, the Connors?" Sam asked nervously.

"Well, that would be my parents and you look a bit young to be old friends of theirs. I've never seen you before in my life and the only person I knew named Sam was an imaginary friend I had back in the orphanage," the young man said with a laugh.

"Okay, were not quite friends of your parents, we just knew them and," Mona began to say when the man held up a hand to stop her.

"Let's cut to the chase here. My father was murdered almost five years ago over a business deal and I really don't know all about what he did in his business while I was away at college but I do know most of who he kept company with and you three didn't know my father. I can sense that, but the only reason I haven't' called the cops or slammed this door is because I can sense an innocence about you and Sam here has a strange familiar smell about him so why don't you come clean before I change my mind and slam this door," the man said growing impatient.

"Okay, here it goes. As I said, my name is Sam Guthrie and I have reason to believe that I may have been adopted. Whether this is true or not, I do not know but if it is there is a strong possibility that your parents were either my foster parents at one time or actually my real parents," Sam said as he hated this feeling of shyness and helplessness.

"Well, it seems I was not the only one to come from an orphanage. Sam, name's Steve Connors. Why don't you all come in so we can talk?" Steve asked as he invited the three into his home.

**Next: Issue #37 – X-Force – Part One & Secret Mutants: Family Heritage – Part Two**


	38. XForce Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #37 – X-Force – Part One**

_**Arizona Desert**_

_**Deep within the canyons**_

"We've been at this far too long now. Face it guys, Shadow Nova and her crew are gone," Meltdown said as she chomped her gum.

"No, their out there and we must find them. The possibility of the Shadow King and Cassandra Nova out there together is too great a risk. We have to find them and make sure the threat is eliminated," Cable said as he moved his team slowing through the sand and rocks.

"She's just mad that she's stuck here while Warpath is off running around with Sam and the others," Bedlam teased as he dodged an exploding bomb from Tabitha.

"That's enough you guys before you alert them and the whole state to our presence," Domino said as she gave them the look that said she was not afraid to shoot them to quiet them.

"Caliban, you picking up anything?" Cable asked as he looked at the white skinned mutant and then at the rest of X-Force.

After a big show down with Cassandra Nova, the Shadow King and their accomplices, something unforeseen had ended up causing Cassandra Nova, Shadow King and Gaia to be killed and merged into a new being called Shadow Nova. The being looked like Gaia but was bald and had pure blackness for pupils. It was clear that there was nothing left of the three mutants and that Shadow Nova was a completely different entity. The being also appeared to be powerless but Cable had sensed something that made him feel it was worth double checking. Unfortunately Shadow Nova, with the help of Sparkles, Giant Dragon, Purge and Broadband had escaped. Cable decided it was important to assemble his team and hunt them down.

His current friend and personal documenter, Irene Merryweather sat with his best friend from the future, Blaquesmith in cables secret safe house running communications and ops for him and his team. He relied on his old friend deeply. After their battle with Cassandra Nova and the Shadow King and then the Demon Storm, Cable had taken a great setback that no one knew about but Blaquesmith. His techno virus had gone out of control and now cable had to use every ounce of his tek powers to keep it in check rendering him unable to use his powers anymore. After the Demon Storm and the death of his sister, Marvel Girl, his mental powers were for some reason diminished to almost nothing. Thanks to Blaquesmith and his telepathic powers, Cable had enough to act as a medium and channel and use his old friend's powers making it seem like to others he still had them. Cable couldn't afford to look weak in front of his team.

X-Force consisted of nine members. His long time friend and ally that he trusted almost as much as Blaquesmith was Domino and she was his second in command. Also on his team was his daughter that had come back from the future to kill him but then had a change of heart. Tosha Dayspring still blamed him for everything that went wrong and the death of her mother, but the wounds were slowly healing and Cable was doing his best to build a relationship with his daughter and not risk the fate that had befallen him and his now deceased son, Tyler. He would do everything he could to protect her and not fail her. It would be tough with this band of mutants to lead.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, he had some old X-Force veterans on his team. He had Shatterstar, a fierce warrior from an alternate dimension called Mojoverse, the same as Longshot but Shatterstar actually is from the future as well. Even though it has not been proven and it is never discussed, there is a small possibility that Shatterstar is Longshot's son. Also on the team was the former Morlock tracker Caliban, the wild and explosive Meltdown and Warpath, who was currently off elsewhere at the moment. There were three other members to his team, one X-Force ally and two brand new additions.

Jesse the mutant known as Bedlam had teamed up and assisted X-Force for awhile and had eventually become a full time member. Cable wasn't so sure how much he trusted or liked him but if the others vouched for him then he would give him a chance. The last two newest members had proven to be quite the power houses and assets to his team. Shola Inkuse not only had telekinesis powers that almost matched his daughters, but also had limited telepathy as well. The last was something else entirely. Karima Shapandar was a human that was transformed into a Sentinel by Bastion using nanite technology. Luckily, Karima's programming had been disabled and she gained complete control of her body, mind and freewill as well as the powers her sentinel changed body was equipped with. She now calls herself Omega Sentinel and stands to fight for the side of good and mutant kind. Cable liked her and valued her firepower, but he was also prepared to do what was necessary if her old programming were to ever come back.

"There are mutants up there," Caliban said as he pointed up at a ledge leading into a cave.

"How many?" Domino asked.

"Can't tell, but know their in there," Caliban answered.

"I can't get a clear mental reading either," Cable said after receiving confirmation from Blaquesmith.

"Whatever's in there it's blocking my telepathy as well," Shola added.

"I say we just charge in there," Shatterstar said as he drew out his two blades.

"Or just seal them away in there," Meltdown said with a smile as she started to create one of her bombs in her hands.

"I am getting six body signatures inside," Omega Sentinel said as her eyes flared a strange color.

"Die!" A large red dragon screamed as it flew out of the cave and dove right at them breathing fire.

"Is that the best they can do?" Tosha asked as she threw up a tek shield that deflected the fire and then used her powers to propel herself into the air and pulling out two guns and opening fire.

"Daughter like father," Domino smirked as she opened fire on Giant Dragon while only getting a disapproving grunt from Cable.

"Take them out quick," Sparkles said as she, Purge and Broadband appeared in front of them.

"Purge is mine," Shatterstar said as he flipped into the air and engaged the mutant.

"You're not much of a threat," Bedlam said as he sent an electronic wave pulse at Broadband.

"I have learned much in my time," Broadband said with a smile.

Having the ability to receive and send transmissions she was now using her ability to receive and absorb Bedlam's wave pulse. She then turned her face in to a monitor and altered the wave and sent a transmission back out at Bedlam. The transmission caused a loud feedback that brought Bedlam to his knees, cuffing his ears in pain. Shola turned and called on all his might as he grabbed Broadband with his telekinesis and sent her flying hard against the side of the rocks with enough force to knock her out and end her transmissions.

"Thanks, dude," Bedlam said as he got up and wiped the small drops of blood form his ears.

"Let's even the playing field a bit," Sparkles said as she concentrated with her powers causing sparkling lights to shoot out and make all of Cable, Tosha, Domino and Shatterstar's weapons to vanish from sight.

"Not so tough without your swords huh?" Purge said as he landed a punch onto a now weaponless Shatterstar.

"Some of us don't need guns," Meltdown said as she sent two large glowing spheres at Purge.

"What?" Purge asked as he caught both of the spheres in his hands

"Boom!" Meltdown said as she made a gun motion with her fingers causing the both spheres to explode and send Purge flying back in pain.

"Now for the dragon," Omega Sentinel said as she lifted into the air

Her arms and body began to shift as two large weapons appeared on both side of her body. With a flash the weapons went off sending to pulse blasts at the large dragon. The dragon roared as the blasts hit him and caused it to slam to the ground. When the smoke cleared they all saw that the dragon was gone and in its place were the two figures of Tim and Tom. Tosha and Shola each took a twin and held them away from each other. Cable nodded with pride as his team had made short work of the mutants.

"Looks like I better send some of them into the sun," Sparkles said as raised up her hands.

"I don't think so girly. You see, I have the gift of things working out for me so I'm betting that I can throw this knife and land it between your eyes before you can even make a pretty sparkly," Domino said as Sparkles turned to see the mutant a few feet from her crouched and holding a very large knife.

"Well done, X-Force. It seems you've finally found me," a figure said coming out of the cave.

"Shadow Nova," Cable said as they all looked up to see a woman step out wearing a black leather outfit with a bright yellow robe draped over her body. She looked just like Gaia, but she had no hair and her eyes were black as night.

"Cable, I may be newly born into this world but I do hold the memories of deep hatred for you and all the X-Men. I may not remember you, but I do know I loath you. Why are you here?" Shadow Nova asked with no emotion showing.

"You had vanished so suddenly that we thought we would come pay a visit to see how you and your mutant traitors were faring," Cable said as he mentally coached his team into position.

"I think you're hear to see if Shadow King or Cassandra Nova still exist and weather or not I have powers," Shadow Nova said with a smile as the darkness seemed to come out from her eyes and suddenly cast them all in a dark shadow.

"Blaquesmith, you there?" Cable asked out loud and mentally to only get nothing but quiet static.

"My telekinesis and telepathy's out," Shola said as Tosha confirmed she could no longer use her powers as well.

"It seems the shadow somehow blocks the ability to use any psi based powers," Cable said with fear not against the bald woman but the fact he could feel the virus starting to stir within him as his tek hold n it began to fade.

"To answer your questions, yes Shadow King, Gaia and Cassandra Nova are dead and forever gone but I am far from powerless," Shadow Nova said as the darkness in her eyes flashed.

"Watch out," Domino shouted as large shadows came out of the darkness around them and began to attack and restrain them.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Family Heritage – Part Two**

_**San Diego, California**_

_**Home of Steve Connors**_

"So you were adopted?" Theresa asked as Steve got them cold sodas from the kitchen while Sam looked around the living room.

"Yes, my adoptive parents couldn't have children of their own. I wish I had pictures of them to show you, Sam, but everything was destroyed in the fire. I have nothing left of my life with them but my own memories," Steve said as he came back into the living room and handed them all their drinks.

"Thanks," Mona said as she watched how nervous and uncomfortable Sam was.

"I appreciate you letting us in even though I'm not really sure they were my parents or not," Sam said as he took a sip of his soda.

"So what makes you think you're adopted? Did your parents tell you?" Steve asked as he glanced over at Mona and smiled at her causing her to blush a little.

"Actually my parents never said anything to me. Up until recently I had no reason to believe I was anything but their blood son," Sam said not sure how he could explain this all.

"I can sense your hiding something but afraid to talk about it. It's okay, I'm a mutant just like the three of you," Steve said as all three guests immediately made eye contact with him.

"How did you know?" Theresa asked as she moved next to Sam and Mona.

"It's my mutant gift. I somehow sense and read energy around a person. It's how I can tell if a person is telling a lie, or feeling a certain emotion or even if they having something in them like a sickness or even the mutant gene," Steve said as he gave them all a smile to try and put their worries to rest.

"Yes, we are mutants and work with a team called the X-Men," Sam said as he, with the help of Mona told Steve all about them, the X-Men and finding out about the Secret Mutants and being inserted into new lives. That even though he didn't have the memories like some of the others he supposedly lived with the Connors before being taken by Xavier.

"Well, your not crazy, Sam. I can see and sense the energy around all of you making your tale true. You know, this makes sense, my imaginary friend being named Sam. If you were inserted into a new life, your time at the Orphanage was erased but my mutant power still allowed me to see and sense your energy so you and me becoming friends became me having an _pretend _friend," Steve said with the excitement of someone being reunited with a long lost friend.

"I may not have my memories but I do feel a strange connection to you," Sam said scratching his head.

"Well, Sam, if this is all true, not only were you two friends at the Orphanage but if the Connors were both of your parents, real, foster or adoptive, you two are in a sense brothers in some form," Theresa said trying to lighten the mood with a little teasing.

"You know she's got a point there," Mona said as Theresa rolled her eyes.

"Well, I guess the only way to figure out how I truly fit into all this is to visit the Orphanage. Any idea what the name was or where it's located at?" Sam asked.

"No I don't. I don't remember much of the Orphanage, just that I was there with my imaginary friend till the Connors came and with great relief adopted me and got me out of there. My powers didn't emerge till I was thirteen and even then I kept it secret and didn't know what they were. I spent a lot of time in high school and then college studying and researching what I was.

"It was before I graduated from high school and went off to college that I had asked my parents about the Orphanage and my real parents but all my father said that last he knew it had been burnt down and rebuilt since I was there. Any records of my real parents had never been given to them and were now lost from the fire. With my powers I sensed the truth in that statement and never pursued it since," Steve explained.

"Well, it looks like the key to both of your pasts lies with the identity and location of this Orphanage. But how do we find this out if you don't have the information and anything your parents may have had went up with the house?" Mona said as Theresa glanced out the window.

"You think we should call the others down here out of the open?" Theresa asked hoping that Slash hadn't killed anyone or vice versa.

"I have pretty nosey neighbors. You might all be safer if they stayed out of sight," Steve said as Theresa closed the curtain when she saw two different sets of neighbors staring at her from their windows.

"I think it might be best to keep them up there for now too," Sam said thinking it might be a good idea to introduce Steve to the man who killed his parents.

"So everything was destroyed here in the fire? There wasn't a safe deposit box or a secret compartment here in the house that might have survived the fire?" Mona asked as she looked around.

"There was no box and the whole place was ruined and I had it rebuilt. I, wait a minute," Steve said as he went running off and a few seconds later came back in with a laptop.

"Before I received word of my father and mother's death in the fire I received an e-mail from my father. When I tried to open it, it looked encrypted or damaged. I couldn't read anything in it whatsoever but there was a photo attached to it that I couldn't get to open so I copied the whole thing to a thumbie before deleting it," Steve said as he pulled out the flash drive from his pocket and plugged it into the computer.

"Let me take a look at that," Mona said as she opened up the file and looked at it.

It was very encrypted and unreadable but Mona was betting it was a letter from his father giving some information in the event of his death. She saw one part that she would bet anything was a list of addresses by the way it was formatted. She and Sam both figured that they could probably break the encryption with their computer system back at the mansion. As for the attached picture, she was knew why it wouldn't open. Somehow, it was a series of photos that had been merged together. Sometimes that can happen when sending an encrypted file through an unsecure server to a basic e-mail that can't handle it. She told them she would do her best to try and get it to open someway or another.

"You think its addresses to the Orphanage?" Theresa asked Sam.

"I don't know. How much do you know about your dad's business dealings?" Sam asked thinking once again about what _their _father had stolen and then killed for.

"Well, I claim to know my dad and his associates, but I guess I did sense that he was hiding something but dismissed it. He was my dad, he didn't ever do anything wrong. He was always there for me," Steve said as he looked at Sam sensing a strange aura from him as if there was something Sam wasn't telling him but for some reason when he pushed his powers on his Sam, they seemed to fizz out.

"Wait, something's happening. I think I'm getting an image from the photo file," Mona said as a very blurry image came up.

"Can't even make it out. Looks maybe like a building. Recognize it, Steve?" Sam asked.

"Not really," Steve said staring at the image.

"Maybe I can do a cross reference and bingo," Mona said as she quickly searched the internet and found an image that came real close to looking like their blurry image.

"That's the Orphanage, rebuilt," Steve said as he looked to Sam.

"Well, from the address and image from the internet I can take us there," Mona said as Steve put the flash drive back in his pocket and they all joined hands and vanished under the power of Mona.

_**Epilogue**_

"Very interesting," Romulus said as he watched the conversation between Steve and his guests and then scratched his chin as they vanished from the house.

"What is that my master?" The fury animal-like man asked.

"This is why I let Slash hook up with them. I learned a lot today and it's rare for Romulus not to know things. So it seems Xavier was active in trying to find and hide these children for some reason and it all backfired on him when this Moira inserted them all into new lives and erasing their past ones. Pretty well hidden between the acts of both Moira and Benjamin's powers and they call me evil," Romulus sneered.

"So that is what happened to you finding Slash and that weird smell about him. You originally never knew of him and he was raised by someone else and then he was reinserted into a new life and this time you found him," the fury servant stated out loud.

"Yes, and I have this feeling he may have been recruiting the children for a more specific reason now. It also makes me wonder about the rest of my Totems and if ol' Ben knows more about all of them as well," Romulus said.

"But I thought all the Totems had been destroyed?" The fury servant asked.

"So I thought until Conner found a missing piece and I discovered this Secret Mutant agenda of Xavier's. Looks like after we all went our separate ways and altered our memories, we should have known that the one not to trust would have been Ben," Romulus said as he felt the pain at his temples from trying to access thoughts and memories of things that he shouldn't know about or just couldn't pull up but wanted to.

"Why did you hack in to the laptop and send them that photo of the Orphanage? Don't you have what you need? Don't you risk loosing Slash with his new memories and the longer he stays with them?" The fury one asked.

"Actually, the Orphanage they speak of used to belong to an old associate of mine. I need to see how this plays out and learn all I can of Xavier's Secret Mutants and Slash's ties to them. Also, I believe that devise Conner possesses may contain the location of the remaining pieces of my Totem. So I will let him infiltrate the X-Men and obtain the information I need from Conner's sons. Then when I have what I need, Slash will kill them all and I will have my Totem," Romulus said with a smile.

"So what is the story of the Totems? Where did they come from and why did you destroy them?" The Fury one asked.

"There's a lot about that story that was erased. I just know about the Totems, what they could do and that my associates and I got rid of them along with the knowledge," Romulus whispered in answer at wishing he could remember more.

"Who were your associates? Maybe they could help?" The fury one asked.

"You have a lot of questions and knowledge for only a servant. Here I actually liked your company," Romulus said as he jumped up, extended two claws from under his arms that shot out, up and over his hands on each side and quickly decapitating his fury servant.

"Master?" Another animal looking man asked racing into the room at the commotion.

"Clean this up and dispose of the body properly," Romulus said leaving the room hating spies as much as being reminded by others of things he does not know.

**Next: Issue #38 – X-Force – Part Two & Secret Mutants: Family Heritage – Part Three**


	39. XForce Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #38 – X-Force – Part Two**

_**Arizona Desert**_

_**Deep within the canyons**_

Cable struggled with the dark shapes trying to grab and bind his arms and legs. He was barely holding them off but with his psi-based powers nullified by the coat of darkness and his techno-virus trying to take over and spread it wouldn't be long before he went down and succumbed to the darkness. He glanced up to see Shadow Nova smiling as her stooges Tim, Tom, Sparkles, Purge and Broadband took their place by her side. He swore to himself as he then tried to see how the rest of X-Force was holding up against Shadow Nova's darkness. He now swore out loud as he saw that they weren't any better off than he was, and that wasn't saying much.

Tosha, Caliban and Shola were already wrapped in a cocoon made of darkness since they were rendered powerless against the shadows. Domino, with her luck and Shatterstar whose swords had come flying back to him had managed to avoid being overwhelmed but he didn't know how long that would last. Meltdown, Bedlam and Omega Sentinel were having the best luck against the darkness since their explosive powers and weapons seemed to drive back the darkness with their force and light. Cable just wished he had his powers, guns or ability to communicate with Blaquesmith so he could do something more to help him and his team bring Shadow Nova down.

"Why do you fight? Give in and swear your loyalty to me and I will let you all live," Shadow Nova said.

"Right and become mindless drones? I'd sooner die," Cable said as he noticed that the five mutants with Nova had pupils that were as dark as their master's eyes.

"We are not mindless drones. We are with her of our own free will," Broadband immediately responded back.

"Yeah and she welcomed us," Tim and Tom said as they suddenly merged into Giant Dragon.

"Welcome this!" Meltdown shouted as she threw two energy balls and snapped her gum at he same time the balls exploded beneath the evil crew causing them and the side of the cavern to come tumbling down.

Giant Dragon flapped his wings and landed on the ground safely while Purge landed on the ground safely thanks to his powers and easily caught Broadband before she hit the ground. Sparkles was already on the ground thanks to her teleportation powers. Meltdown and Domino realized as they saw the shadows pull away from them as the darkness above coating the sky was pulled back and absorbed into Shadow Nova. Shadow Nova moved her hands slightly as the last remaining darkness around her stopped and formed a sort of parachute that caused her to land safely to the ground before going back completely into her. Shadow Nova then signed, put a finger to her temple and then glared at X-Force in agitated anger.

_Cable, are you okay? Couldn't get through. _

_I've been better. Found Shadow Nova. _Cable thought as he sent a full mental update to his old friend.

"Nathan, are…Oh my," Domino began to ask when she gasped at the sight of her old companion.

Cable, having finally regained his powers and used them to take back control of the techno-virus, looked down at what Domino was carrying on about. His entire upper body was exposed and was shining in the sun's light. During his power outage and battle with the shadows, the techno-virus had spread. His entire upper body's flesh, including his neck, both arms and hands were now replaced by the techno-organic virus. Surfing with his mind he knew his heart and internal organs were still normal, but it was taking a great amount of his tek power to keep the virus at bay. He wished there was a cure because someday soon he would no longer be flesh or even human.

"Look on the bright side, Neena, my upper body strength and durability just increased ten fold," Cable tried to joke as he turned his attention back to their adversaries.

"Caliban thinks bald lady is evil," Caliban said as he got his strength back from being encased in darkness.

"I am not evil. I have done nothing wrong. You are the ones attacking me," Shadow Nova said as she looked at each and every member of X-Force.

"You even admitted that you want to hurt all of us," Omega Sentinel said as she created weapons and aimed them at various members of Shadow Nova's lackeys.

"I can even since a dark presence in your mind," Shola added as with his limited telepathy he couldn't read much.

"That's only because you will all no doubt get in the way of my quest to bring the mutants together," Shadow Nova said and then glared at Shola with her dark eyes, "and next time you try poking in my mind will be your last."

"Enough talk," Shatterstar said as he leapt into the air with swords swinging.

Giant Dragon flew to confront the warrior and roared when the two blades sliced his chest causing him pain. Shatterstar did a back flip and landed back on the ground as Giant Dragon landed in front of him and swayed slightly. Shatterstar brought his swords around for another attack when Giant Dragon suddenly split back into Tim and Tom, each holding a sword wound across each of their chests. Broadband and Sparkles moved but dropped to the ground when Omega Sentinel opened fire on them, wounding them only as per Cable's rules. Purge made his attack as well but Cable, with his newly added strength from the techno-virus, dropped him back with a couple punches. Shadow Nova looked at each of her fallen minions and then looked right at Cable and clapped.

"Very impressive. You took out a group of mutants you once all called friends," Shadow Nova said.

"Until they betrayed us all," Meltdown responded as she threw an energy bomb at the woman.

Shadow Nova smiled as her eyes glowed dark and a shadow came out of her and wrapped itself around her. The bomb hit and detonated with no effect upon its intended victim. The shadow unwrapped and drew back within Shadow Nova.

"If you refuse to join me then you leave me no choice. My faithful followers, do you fully pledge yourselves to me, mind and soul? Do you grant your mistress domain over the astral forever giving up the physical?" Shadow Nova asked as the injured group of mutants looked up to her with glowing black eyes and all said yes in unison except for Tom who was unsure about taking that final step.

Cable and his X-Force stared as Shadow Nova raised out her arms and darkness seemed to flow out of her eyes and wrap itself around the heads of Tim, Broadband, Purge and Sparkles. Tom's eyes returned to normal as he, screaming in fear moved away from his brother while trying to hold the deeply bleeding wound on his chest. All four mutants opened their mouths but no sound came out, only darkness. Their bodies began to shrivel as the darkness flowing out began to take a dark shape. Soon, standing next to each body was now a solid shadow figure. A small dragon next to Tim, a large muscular form next to Purge, a woman with shades and long nails next to Sparkles and a woman with a kind of television scream for a head next to Broadband. The figures quickly hovered over next to Shadow Nova.

"I welcome you, Shadow Dragon, Shadow Purge, Shadowport and Shadowband, my children to my side," Shadow Nova said with a loving smile.

"I am no longer reading life signs, sir," Omega Sentinel reported.

"Their minds are empty as well," Shola said as he reached out with his mind at the bodies and then stared over at Nova and the shadows next to her.

_Got anything for me, Blaquesmith?_

_You're not going to like this, Cable. _

_Give it to me old friend. _

_As soon as we reestablished contact I used my abilities with Cerebro 2.0 and discovered that Shadow Nova's powers are that of her three old body's merged and warped into something new. The darkness that you said covered the sky above you that blocked out our communications and all your mental powers was actually a rift between our plane and the astral plane. _

_Not liking the sound of that. _

_It seems that she can mentally siphon off any mental powers and use it to create her darkness or rift into the astral plane. That's why you didn't have your powers because they were fuelling her ability. The darkness or shadow constructs are actually a mix of her astral form and other spirits or astral forms she is pulling over form the astral plane and manipulating under her control. _

_What about what she just did now? Can she turn us all into Shadow Zombies?_

_Thankfully, because of your former teammate in there with them, her goodness has acted as an Achilles heal if you will. She cannot use telepathy or mind control on others, unless they give her permission to enter her mind or someone else tried to get into hers and allows a small enough crack for her to channel in. _

_That's good to know. What about what just happened to the four here?_

_It seems that if she is allowed the proper time to have her metal link or shadow inside someone, she can fully gain access to their astral form. If the person willingly gives themselves to her and agrees to their fate, she can rip the astral form from their body permanently, infuse it with her darkness and give it a solid shadowy form you all can see. In doing this it drains and kills the physical body. I don't think there is no going back from this. _

_Please tell me there is some other weakness?_

_From what I gather, when she does this it is very draining on her body and she must have time to rest or gather other followers she can feed off of astrally and it seems she's lost her feeding source for now and weakened herself converting them. _

"What did she do to him? I can't feel him anymore," Tom said in panic looking up at the dragon made of darkness.

"Your call, Nathan," Domino said as she dressed Tom's wound while Cable had mentally relayed what he had just learned to the rest of the team.

"I say we take them down," Cable said as he gave the command for X-Force to attack.

"Sorry to disappoint you but we will have to continue this another day," Shadow Nova said as she stepped back a little.

"We are not finished," Cable shouted as he leapt towards the bald woman.

"Oh, Nathan, we are not. Trust me, all will soon bow to me, including you. Shadowport," Shadow Nova said nodding to the woman made of darkness.

Just before Cable reached the group, Shadowport raised her hands causing dozens of balls made of darkness to pour out and surround her and her teammates. The darkness soon engulfed Shadow Nova and her shadowy minions encasing them in a bubble of complete darkness. Cable had reached them just as the bubble popped and it and those it was holding vanished from sight. Cable swore as the rest of X-Force caught up with him.

"They are gone," Caliban said as he could not sense any of them at all.

"What now?" Domino asked as she looked at Cable.

"Let's head back to the Institute and report in. She can't hide forever and next time we'll be ready for her," Cable said hoping what he said held true.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Family Heritage – Part Three**

_**Heartland's Orphanage – Omaha, Nebraska**_

It had taken a little longer than he had planned but they were finally at the Orphanage in the picture. Sam looked and saw that Magma had been able to use her secondary mutation to form molten healing fire from her hands to heal their new friend Steve Connors. He then glanced over and saw that once again Sunpyre, now going by Fira due to her memories returning, had Slash completely under control and tame for now. Sam was wondering if it really had been a good idea to have introduced the two but it was too late now and maybe it was better to get all secrets out while on this mission of theirs.

Mona had immediately teleported them out of the Connor home and back with the rest of their group that were in hiding. Steve took in a quick breath as he got a look at the group before him. A woman that looked like some kind of demon made of energy, a very muscular Native American, a woman with blue skin and a white streak in her brown hair, a woman who looked like she was made of molten lava while another looked to be partially on fire standing next to a very odd man with purple hair and strange tattoo markings. There was something familiar about him and the energy around him. It was as if he knew something or was connected to his family somehow.

"Just us guys," Sam said upon their arrival as all the women but the one with blue skin turned normal looking.

"Do I know you?" Steve asked as he started towards Daken.

"Hey, I was only doing a job. Your ol' man signed his own death warrant when he crossed my boss," Slash said as Fira and the others glared at him.

"What? You killed? You monster!" Steve screamed as he saw the truth and lunged for the purple haired mutant.

"Steve, stop," Sam shouted as he dove after the man while Leyu did the same with Daken.

"He wasn't in his right mind. He has his real memories back. He's not a killer anymore," Fira pleaded as they pulled the two back but not before Daken had extended one of his claws and sliced a cut across Steve's chest.

"You all knew? I'll kill him," Steve swore as he tried to cover the blood with his hand.

"Who says I'm not a killer or that I won't make acceptions," Daken mumbled as Fira managed to get him to pull back.

"Steve, we're sorry. We didn't know how to tell you. We just found out ourselves," Theresa said as they, with the somewhat help of Daken told them about their meeting with Daken and him about how Steve's father had stolen something and he had been sent to retrieve it.

"I can't believe I didn't see or accept the truth of whom and what my father really was as I do now with all your words," Steve sat down in tears as Magma knelt to heal his wounds.

"We don't like what Daken did or what any of us have done, but we are getting our lives back and are heading in a better path then where we came," Rouge said as she shared a little about her bad past.

"I always knew my father was hiding something but we all had our secrets so I ignored it and forced myself to pretend everything was picture perfect," Steve said.

"We have to move on and find the truth. They weren't your real parents but they raised you just as they might have been mine and I've never known them," Sam said not knowing how he felt about the Connors.

"Sam, I've seen the energy around you and of my parents. There's a connection but I don't think it's a biological one," Steve said as he winced at Magma's touch.

"Then there's only one way to find the truth to everything," Mona said smiling down at the man.

"Yes, you're right. Let's do this," Steve said smiling back at her.

"Mona, if you would?" Sam said as they instantly found themselves in front of the Orphanage in the picture.

"Anything?" Theresa asked as she stepped next to Sam.

"No, no jolts in memory. Steve?" Sam asked as Steve thanked Magma and walked over to him.

"Not really. Place looks different on the outside. I was fairly young so I don't remember a lot from my time here and since they rebuilt this place the energy I see is not familiar either," Steve replied.

"I suppose we all have to wait back in hiding again?" Rouge asked.

"Is that all I did was join your group to do nothing but hide? I don't play that way," Daken growled as Fira tried to calm him.

"It might frighten them or the children if a strange group like us went charging in there," Illyana said as she glared at the way Leyu was hovering all over Daken.

"I think it might be best if only Sam, Steve and a few others approach the Orphanage. While they talk to the person running the place and see what they can about jogging their memories and getting info Rouge can copy Mona's powers and take the rest in covertly to see if there is anything that might be in hiding," Warpath said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I don't know about that," Sam said nervous about that plan.

"Sam, we'll be careful. We're more apt to get caught hiding out here than in there," Rouge pleaded.

Sam finally gave in and it was decided that they would split up into two teams. Sam, Steve, Theresa, Mona and Amara would approach the front doors while Rouge teleported herself, Jason, Daken, Leyu and Illyana into the building. Sam wasn't keen on the idea but he did see Jason's logic. If they couldn't get past the front doors they would easily serve as a distraction while the others were roaming feeling inside looking for clues. Sam didn't know what they would find but no time than the present to find out. So as the others vanished he and his party headed up to the front doors. Sam took a deep breath and then rang the door bell.

"Yes, can I help you?" A woman slightly older than Sam with shoulder length blond hair and dark lensed glasses asked opening the front door.

"Hi, I don't know if you can help us or not but my name is Sam Guthrie and this is Steve Connors and we are searching for our birth parents," Sam said as he made introductions following their plan that Theresa would be his girlfriend, Mona Steve's and Amara his sister and then told them a brief story about believing both of them had been children here at this orphanage.

"My name is Roberta but my friends call me Ruby. I have managed the facility here ever since it was rebuilt. You see, I too grew up in this place and when I heard it had burnt down I decided to rebuild it as a chance to give back and make a better place for orphans than I had growing up. I know it's been a long time but neither of you or your names sound familiar," Ruby said as she glanced at the two young men.

"Sam, that's probably because you were removed from ever being here because of my sister and Steve went from being stuck here to being adopted out, may have clouded her memories as well," Mona whispered to Sam.

"Is there any way to check your records to see if we are listed? I may be listed as Sam Connors maybe?" Sam asked with hope.

"I hate to say this, but in the fire all records were destroyed. Even if I was legally allowed to let you search through them, I have none to do so. I'm truly sorry," Ruby said to them from the doorway.

"Can we at least have a look around and see if anything jogs our memory?" Steve asked as he read a strange energy from the lady that indicated she was hiding something.

"I'm sorry, but the place was rebuilt and looks nothing like the old building and for the safety of the children here I will have to say no. Sorry gentlemen, ladies," Ruby said as she tapped a bracelet on her wrist and quickly closed the door.

"What now?" Amara asked seeing the frustration in Steve and Sam's eyes.

"Sam, do you copy?" Rouge's voice asked over their Comm. System.

"What is it Rouge? Find anything? We couldn't even get past the front door," Sam responded back.

"Oh boy did we. The place may have been rebuilt but I don't think they realized there was a secret basement in this place," Rouge said.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked as the four of them calmly walked away and out of sight since Steve noticed Ruby was still watching them from a window.

"Mona has to teleport you in here. I can't even begin to describe what we just found," Rouge said as Mona concentrated and pictured the basement and called on her powers.

"Oh my," Amara gasped as they arrived in the basement next to the others.

Sam couldn't believe his eyes. It was like an old laboratory or something out of a Frankenstein movie. There were old cells, cages and holding tubes as well as beds with restraints and all kinds of God awful devises, tools and equipment. It was clear that some kind of evil experiments, tests or research had gone on down here. By the smell and look Sam knew whatever went on down here was not recent and was a very long time ago. As Sam looked around he rested his eyes on a cage. Something in the back of his mind began to tingle. There was something familiar about this place but he couldn't quite place it. Steve stepped right up beside him and instinctively they grabbed hands and stared at a huge needle like machine.

"OMG, I remember everything!" Sam and Steve shouted at the exact same time.

"That's most unfortunate since I'm about to hand your trespassing butts to you on a silver platter," Ruby said stepping into the room as her skin seemed to be shifting color while she removed her glasses, revealing a strange energy in her eyes before the room suddenly lit up.

**Next: Issue #39 – The New Brotherhood – Part One & Secret Mutants: Family Heritage – Part Four**

**Before you read next issue, be sure to reread the New Brotherhood's formation in The New Brotherhood – Blood Ties mini series. **


	40. The New Brotherhood Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #39 – The New Brotherhood – Part One**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"I see we can add Shadow Nova and her minions to the active threat list," Dani said as she and Xi'an had gone over Cable's report from their search mission.

"What do we have for threats?" Xi'an asked as she sat down.

After Cable had gotten back and told them about Shadow Nova and with everything that has happened lately they decided the best thing was to be proactive. They needed to know their threats so that they could be prepared. That way they didn't have known threats blind siding them along with unknown threats that seem to keep popping up. Dani had even begun to wonder if it wasn't time, like Cable had suggested, to start policing or hunting down these threats instead of waiting till they attack. The other heroes and cops do it with criminals, why not them? Is it because they are mutants that they don't actively hunt their own? Maybe Xavier and Cyclops had something to their secret teams they employed to try and handle these threats. Then again, how much had Xavier had his hands in these bad things and that is why no true policing happened. Either way, Dani thought maybe it was time to do things their way and a start would be to access their enemies.

"Acolytes, no longer exist. Those still alive are either in hiding, gave up the cause or have joined our cause," Dani said as they began to run down the list.

"Their leader, Magneto has vanished in space with the X-Men," Xi'an said.

"But Exodus is still out there somewhere. After the Demon Storm he and the other two surviving Horseman, Toad & poor Neal have vanished off the grid. We should check on them, not as a threat but to find and help Neal," Dani said.

"And speaking of, if the Demon Storm holds true, Apocalypse is dead and that is one threat we never have to worry about," Xi'an said.

"We'll see, it seems he always comes back. As for the Brotherhood of Mutants, most are lost in space with the X-Men while the very few are hidden somewhere, like Blob," Dani said.

"Well, that brings us to this new Brotherhood that's popped up," Xi'an said.

"Yes, they could be a huge threat, even if they've eliminated a lot of our potential enemies," Dani added.

"But they haven't made themselves known to us or anyone yet. All we have is the word of Amelia Voght," Xi'an responded.

"True, but like the Hellfire Club, we need to get more information and not wait for them to strike. Especially when it seems we have a spy or informant in here along with Emma's transmissions that says they are active again in some form," Dani said.

"I don't even want to think about that," Xi'an said trying to keep her suspicions about Roberto to herself. "Besides what we've discussed and the groups like Friends of Humanity and the Purifiers that seem to have lain low for now, we just have out current active enemies, Shadow Nova and her crew and possibly this New Brotherhood."

"Yes, the Upstarts are gone leaving Shadow Nova, Adriane Frost and Black Tom still at large and gunning for us. There is also the Neo, despite being under new leadership and having gone into isolation, we have to assume they may strike again," Dani said.

"You thinking we need a covert team to be scouting them out as well?" Xi'an said as she saw Dani shaking her head nervously.

"I hate the thought but I can see clearly we may need such a team to be going in under the radar to handle these kinds of matters," Dani said.

"What about X-Force or Generation Next?" Xi'an asked.

"X-Force is there own group and I think Sam would agree that they may not be quite what we're needing. As for Generation Next, they are more in training as the next X-Men. After their first mission, it makes me think that using them for a mutant black ops might not be the best of ideas," Dani said as she looked at the screen.

"Yes and that leave us the last on our list. If what Calvin said is true, Mr. Sinister, one of our biggest threats is now dead but replaced by the even deadlier threat, the Modifier. We know he will strike again," Xi'an said thinking of his deadly gene modifying powers.

"So right now our biggest concerns and interest are, Neo, Hellfire Club, FOH, Purifiers, which also includes the possibility of Sentinels, Black Tom & Adriane Frost, Shadow Nova and her gang, the Modifier and now this so called New Brotherhood of Evil," Dani said as he thoughts came back to the group that brought them Amelia into their home.

"If they are after her and have been taking out any group or person connected to Magneto, you know with Magneto and the old Brotherhood in space that only leaves a few main targets for them. Wanda, Quicksilver and us here at Xavier's," Xi'an pointed out.

"And we will be next then, if the pattern proves true. They will save his children and best friend for when Magneto and Xavier returns. If they succeed in destroying us here, it will be one of the main crippling blows. All Magneto will have left is his children, one of which they will have, Skywalker. They will kill Xavier and Amelia in front of him and finish by torturing and killing his children. Then and only then will they be victories and kill magneto himself," Dani said.

"But why? Why are they doing this? What connection do they have to him, besides their leader wearing the same costume?" Xi'an asked.

"For the costume and motivation, be one of two reasons, someone severely scorned by Erik and wants the ultimate payback, or someone who simply wants to bring the ultimate mutant down and replace his legacy with their own," Dani said as she pulled up the bios and images they put together thanks to the Cuckoos and Cerebra.

"We have Magnetrix, the leader of them and identity unknown but seem to have the same powers as Magneto. Pyra, a woman or very feminine man that generates fire, identity unknown. Super Sabra, a woman with speed powers, identity unknown. Aumente, a woman whose identity and powers are really unknown, possibly telepathic in nature. A man calling himself One-Eighty who appears to be able to turn one's powers back on them, identity unknown. Crimson Commando, identity unknown and whether he is new or the one that was in the last incarnation before it vanished but still deadly with weapons.

"Now the last two we at least know. Lady Mastermind, Regan Wyngarde mistress of illusions like her late father and sister and Astra, former ally and original founding Brotherhood member of Magneto's until she vanished to never be heard from again. Form what the data records states she can teleport and good with tech weaponry," Dani finished reading the computer data.

"You don't think Astra is behind this, getting even with Magneto after all these years? I mean, look at the team, most seem to be copies of former members," Xi'an suggested.

"I don't know, could be possible but from what we gathered from Amelia, this is all Magnetrix and Astra is a willing servant. So Astra was recruited for her knowledge and inside info of Magneto and his connections or Astra is manipulating this team and Magnetrix with some deadly plan of revenge. Either way, this is not good," Dani said as she turned to look at Xi'an when the alarms began to go off.

"What is going on?" Xi'an asked as they looked at the images on the screen.

"Wouldn't you know it, it's the Brotherhood," Dani said as she pressed a button as well has giving the mental command to put the mansion on complete red alert.

"I have to get out of here. Give me my son and teleport us to safety," Amelia demanded as Dani and Xi'an had run out and collided with the woman and half the staff and students running about.

"Pretty cocky of them to be walking right up to the front gate," Roberto said.

"What do you think they want?" Domino asked as she, Cable and X-Force entered the room.

"They want Amelia and they now know about Magneto's other son and want him as well. They say if we completely surrender and turn them over they will leave the school and its student alone," the Cuckoos said in unison.

"Is that true?" Dani asked turning to Lilandro.

"I, they have psi-shields in place," Lilandro stuttered.

"Can you break those and get through long enough to find our?" Dani asked.

"Yes, but," Lilandro began to say when Dani gave him a look and said in times like this it was okay to do so. "They have no intent of doing so. I see complete destruction in their minds."

"We need to teleport as many of the students out of here as possible," Rahne said.

"We can't. According to Blacquesmith, there is a devise emitting some kind field around the mansion and parameter from Astra's belt. He's ninety percent certain that anyone who tried to teleport through the field will be flash fried," Cable said.

"Okay, listen up. Cable, you and X-Force engage them before they enter the gates and hopefully that will be enough," Dani said.

"They won't stand a chance," Domino said rolling her eyes and cocking her gun.

"Don't worry, Dani, we got this. Bodyslide by nine, straight to gate avoid he field," Cable said as X-Force vanished from sight.

"Bishop, you are in charge of Generation Next. This is the time to prove you are X-Men. You will be the second line of defense. If X-Force fails or any of them slip through, your job is to keep them from reaching the mansion. Network, I will need you here, but I want Callisto and X-Factor to join you," Dani shouted out instructions.

"I told you we're ready," Callisto said as she ignored the dirty look from Bishop and their two teams headed out the front door.

"Sage, you Network, Lilandro, Cuckoos, Prodigy and Preview are in charge of mansion security and defenses. Your job is to make sure that they find it pretty darn hard to get in here and how to keep us alive if they do. Skids, Luna, Lucinda and Banshee, you evacuate all the students into the basement, seal and secure yourselves.

"If it looks like there is no alternative, Modifier or not, you will break the barrier and enter the tunnels and escape threw the sewers. Upper class squads will have no choice but to help secure the passage and safety of their fellow students. Me, Xi'an, Rahne, Julio, Rusty and Roberto will make sure they never make it down there after you or if anything make sure you all have one hell of a head start. Now go!" Dani shouted as everyone moved and she prayed to the spirits to protect them all that they would survive and have a school for Sam and the others to come back to.

"So surrendering is a no?" Magnetrix asked with a chuckle as X-Force appeared between the Brotherhood and the gate to Xavier's School and engaged them in battle.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Family Heritage – Part Four**

_**Heartland's Orphanage – Omaha, Nebraska**_

"Sam, look out!" Theresa shouted as a powerful energy blast came right at him.

Sam and Steve turned to face the energy beam that was coming right at them. Sam realized that the energy was coming right out of the woman's eyes. With quick instinct, Sam created an energy shield around him and, while still holding Steve's hand, expanded it around his best friend from his first childhood. The energy blast hit his shield dead on and seemed to absorb right into it, having no effect on it. The woman stomped her foot as the energy beam vanished leaving her eyes glowing with red energy dots. She turned and faced two new threats.

Slash extracted his claws and dove at the woman. The woman's slightly red colored skin suddenly became a deep red as her flesh transformed into a hard ruby substance. Slash's claw came down and sparked as she brought up her arm to block the attack as her ruby hard skin was invulnerable to a bone claw. Ruby quickly brought her other arm down and slammed it into the back of Slash's head sending him crashing to the ground. She then did a back flip, placing her hands on Warpath's shoulders as he ran at her and catapulted over him and landing behind him and sending him to the ground with a sweep kick under his feet.

"Very impressive," Rouge said as she stepped up to the woman who was also on her feet and facing her.

"I new there was more to you all then your little story out side," Ruby said as her skin went soft and turned more pinkish as her eyes grew brighter.

"Two can play this game," Rouge said as her skin suddenly went red and shot a blast out of her eyes that hit the Orphanage owner dead in the chest and sending her across the room.

"Okay, Roberta, what is going on here? This isn't a normal orphanage," Mona asked as she looked around the laboratory.

"Not much of an orphanage when there are no kids on the grounds," Slash said as he gave a final sniff after picking himself up off the ground.

"Also, your powers look very similar to someone we now and most people who run orphanages don't have moves like that," Magma added.

"Time to spill it. Right, Sam? Sam?" Theresa began to say and then turned to Sam when she saw that he and Steve were still just standing there staring at everything and everyone.

"I, Theresa, it's like two different people's memories are driving through my mind. I remember my life on the farm but I also remember being with Mona and her Secret Mutants as well as images coming back to me about being here," Sam said as he stepped around.

"Being that I can sense the truth, I can now see that my imaginary friend was really my interactions with Sam. Also, I was adopted out but I am sensing and reading energy around this place that says bad things happened to me here as if I lived two lives as well," Steve said as he finally let go of Sam's hand and walked around.

"I think maybe it's time we all sat down and talked," Mona said looking from her friends and teammates to the woman who was slowly getting back on her feet.

"How do I know you aren't Sinister's lackeys?" Ruby asked as she eyed them carefully.

"Mr. Sinister is dead and now that I have my memories back and with the fuzzy memories and impressions I have of this place down here, I know Sinister is connected and deserves to be dead," Sam said as he looked to Steve.

"Yes, I can see the truth in that something bad happened to us and other children down here and with some evil man," Steve said as he looked to Ruby.

"What is your story?" Rouge asked Ruby.

"Yeah, and why did you lie about running this orphanage when there are no kids here? How do we now you aren't working for Sinister in his lab down there?" Amara asked

"Maybe you're right. I have a hard time trusting people, but maybe it's time," Ruby said as she stared at Sam feeling a strange connection to the man.

"Then tell us the real story of what's going on here," Warpath said.

"And I'll know if you're lying," Steve added.

"Ruby, we are just looking for answers," Sam said.

"Well, I don't run this place. I had lived here and been tortured by Mr. Sinister when I was little. One day, me and my brother had escaped this place and burned it down in the process. Not knowing my last name or who my real family was I spent a majority of my life on the streets, on my own fighting for my life against his Marauders or whomever Sinister sent after me," Ruby said.

"Why did you come back here?" Mona asked.

"I had heard that it had been rebuilt and fearing that Sinister might be up to hurting more children I came back in take him and the place down. When I got here I found it empty and heard that after it had been rebuilt it had lost its funding and went under. I have only been here a day and just discovered the secret entrance to the laboratory when you all arrived," Ruby said.

"Where is your brother?" Sam asked.

"He died that night allowing me to make it away," Ruby said as she kept control of her emotions.

"Sorry to hear that," Theresa said as she kept catching Sam staring at her oddly.

"Maybe if we all search here and you three talk about what you remember we can piece things together," Mona suggested.

"I'm sorry I lied to you all but I wasn't sure what you wanted or who you were and I needed to find answers," Ruby said to Sam.

"It's okay," Steve said.

"Sam, are you okay?" Theresa asked him quietly.

"It's a lot to take in. I mean, I love Dani but now there's these other feelings, memories," Sam answered and then went quiet.

"What are you talking about?" Theresa asked.

"Not now, okay?" Sam asked as Theresa nodded with concern and confusion.

"Sam, what do you remember?" Mona asked.

"I remember this lab and hearing screams, but it's like it's hazy, like something is keeping me from remembering it all. I remember being adopted by the Connors and living with them until Charles Xavier came and brought me to you Mona," Sam said.

"I bet Charles blocked those memories of anything before the Connors like he's done to many of us," Rouge said with anger.

"It's like I feel this kinship with you and feel like we went through something down here together but I just can't pull it all they way up in my mind," Sam said looking at Steve and then turning to the others, "and then I have these second set of childhood memories of living on the farm with mom and dad."

"Don't worry, it will get easier. Some easier than others whose two lives were very similar," Illyana said trying to be positive.

"Hey, I found something," Slash said as he and Warpath moved some debris.

"What is it?" Fira asked as she moved closer to Slash.

"It's a containment tube. Look's like its big enough to hold a person but it's pretty broken up," Warpath said.

"It has a very familiar scent in it," Slash said as he sniffed and then looked right at Ruby.

"That's because, written here in faded print, is "Ruby Summers"," Fira said as most of them all realized what Orphanage they were in and all looked right at Ruby.

"Maybe it's time you told us all you know and remember," Theresa said looking right at the woman with glowing red eyes.

**Next: Issue #40 – The New Brotherhood – Part Two & Secret Mutants: Family Heritage – Part Five**


	41. The New Brotherhood Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #40 – The New Brotherhood – Part Two**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"Who are you lady?" Cable asked as he fired off blasts from his guns.

_The helmet is far more advanced than Magneto's. She is completely protected from any kind of psi attack or probe, even with the combined force of myself, the Cuckoos and Lilandro. _

_Probably Astra's doing, Blaquesmith, so just keep trying. _

"Just give us Amelia and the boy and we will leave you all, for now," Magnetrix said as she tried to reach out to her attackers and their weapons with her powers.

"Stupid lady, you think we would come into battle without coating our weapons with protection against you?" Domino said as she fired a blast at Astra who protected herself with a force field.

"And our bodies," Omega Sentinel said as she flew right at Magnetrix with weapons firing thankful for the experimental plastic based spray Blaquesmith had created to spray on metal to protect it from magnetic based forces and if it worked could be very useful.

"You think we are amateurs?" Magnetrix asked as she nodded to her team.

"Time to burn," Pyra laughed as he called on his powers and Omega Sentinel exploded into a ball of fire.

"Karima," Shola said in panic and he pushed her out of the fire with his telekinesis.

"This is child's play," Crimson Commando said as he pulled out a gun and fired it at Shola who threw up a tek-shield in time enough to protect him from the blast but not from the impact force that sent him flying backwards.

"A true warrior, this will be fun," Shatterstar said as he landed in front of Crimson Commando and drew his blades.

"Not only does their armor protect them but seems to also allow for the freedom of movement," Domino said as her gun blast bounced off of Astra's armor while she flipped out of the way from Astra's return blast.

"Magnetrix, I'm getting a reading now. The fire burned the substance off," Astra said as Magnetrix turned at Omega Sentinel.

Magnetrix rose up her arms and she called on all her strength and power. Then in a sharp, fast and dramatic gesture, she brought her arms down and outwards. She felt her power explode as Omega Sentinel began to scream. Everyone turned to see the X-Force member scream in pain and horror as her skin and body erupted in holes and blood. Then as Magnetrix brought her arms back up everyone saw a large mass forming and then crunch together and then hurled clear out of sight. Magnetrix signed as she tried to hide her exhaustion and her thankful nod to Aumente for the temporary power boost.

"I don't believe it, she latterly ripped the nanites from her body," Cable said.

"She needs medical attention," Shola said getting to her side.

"Yes, Body," Cable began to say when something very fast ripped the guns from his hands and landed several blows that knocked him back.

"Not so fast, Cable," Super Sabra said stopping in front of Cable, blue and white armor shining in the sunlight.

"Back away from my father," Tosha Dayspring said as she wrapped her powers around the speedster and threw him backwards with her powers.

"You do care," Cable said getting to his feet.

"You wish," Tosha said and walked away.

"What are your powers, controlling weaponry?" Shatterstar asked as he deflected the shots while severing Crimson Commando's guns with his swords.

"No, mine is super strength," Crimson Commando said as he grabbed Shatterstar's kicking leg twisting it and breaking it with super human strength and tossing him back.

"Ben?" Bedlam asked as he looked over at his fallen teammate.

"Don't worry about me, it will heal quickly," Shatterstar said as he set his own leg to heal that much quicker and then face his opponent yet again.

"Are we done playing yet? I would like to get into the mansion," Lady Mastermind said as she stepped away from Caliban and Meltdown, both laying unconscious on the ground from illusions that tricked them into battling each other.

"Not quite," Domino said as she pointed her gun at Lady Mastermind.

"You know, if you guys just did what we asked we could avoid all this," One-Eighty said as he stepped between the two women.

"Wonder how tough that armor really is?" Domino asked with a smile as she began to press the trigger button.

"Funny thing how my powers work making people's power turn back on themselves. The more psi-based they are the more power I have over them. Like if someone was pulling a trigger and their psionicly based powers caused things to work out for them," One-Eighty said with a smile as Domino suddenly realized what he meant but not before her finger twitched.

The gun went off and hit a spot on One-Eighty's armor just right that it bounced off safely and ricocheted back hitting Domino in her side causing her to drop and clutch her bleeding body.

"Nice one, but if the powers make things work out, why is it the shot was wounding and not terminal?" Lady Mastermind asked as she looked at her teammate and then moved on.

"Who cares, he pays now," Bedlam said as he sent an electronic wave pulse at the Brotherhood member.

"Ahhh!" One-Eighty screamed in pain as the electronic wave did a number on him and his armor.

"Hands off my man!" Pyra screamed as power flared all around him.

"Magnetrix?" Astra asked knowing what was about to occur.

"No, let him burn off his anger. Aumente, a little help," Magnetrix said with a smile.

Cable stared with wide eyes as he felt the air heat up. Suddenly, Pyra exploded in a burst of fire. Cable quickly covered his face as the entire battle area was engulfed in fire. The fire died and Cable stood up. Thanks to his half metal body and his tek-shield he had thrown around his body he had survived the fiery blast. The entire area was burning in flames and in the center stood Pyra, leaning over One-Eighty helping him up while the rest of the Brotherhood regrouped next to them. It seemed that their armor and Astra's tech had protected them all from the fire. Unfortunately, that couldn't be said the same of X-Force.

He saw that Domino was lying off to the side, bleeding and burned. Her powers had returned enough to allow the probability of the fire not to touch or kill her, only to give her a severe sunburn. Shatterstar was lying off to the other side, severely burnt but Cable could see that he was still breathing and that his body was slowly healing itself. He glanced for his daughter to see that she was using her powers to create a tek-shield around her, Caliban and Meltdown. They were completely engulfed in fire and only lived as long as she held her shield up. Shola had done the same for him and the badly injured Karima, but he was very weak. Then Cable's eyes fell on what was not too far from the Brotherhood. The very burnt and still body of Bedlam.

"You all will pay for this," Cable said as he got to his feet.

"No, Mr. Cable, we are done here. You've lost. You see, your solution was vulnerable to fire and thanks to this flash burn I am guessing it has hot enough to melt away enough of your solution on your body," Magnetrix said as she held up her hands and squeezed.

"You witch," Cable cursed as he felt the pain all around his chest.

"Yes, that organic metal, crunching it on your chest and around your heart appears to be causing you some discomfort as well as me helping push and move it into more areas it hasn't taken over yet," Magnetrix smirked.

"I will kill you," Tosha said as he began to move forward.

"I wouldn't do that, honey," Astra said as she pointed her gauntlet laser at her and smiled, "if you so much as move or drop your shield I will kill one of your teammates, that is if Pyra here doesn't flash burn you all first."

"I am curious, Aumente, your ability to enhance ones powers, do you think you could use it to, I don't know, enhance a techno-organic virus?" Magnetrix asked as Cable stared at the woman in true panic.

"One way to find out," Aumente said as she telepathically reached into Cable's mind and then found the virus's "mind" and then pushed.

"Dad!" Tosha screamed, suddenly realizing how much she truly did care and want him in her life as Cable twitched and screamed in pain.

"We are done here. Time to visit the mansion and take what I want," Magnetrix said as she finished using her powers to assist the virus and Aumente and then use her powers to toss cable clear back into the trees.

"What about the rest of them?" Astra asked.

"We're done here. Pyra," Magnetrix said as she used her powers to rip the gate apart and allow them all to step through while Pyra sent another wave of fire at what was left of X-Force.

"I don't believe it," Jubilee said as she saw the fire clear down the path and the figures approaching them.

_They are making short work of the lawn defenses. They will be upon you in moments. _

_Thanks, Cuckoos. We need you all to focus on mansion and internal defenses incase we fail. _

_Be careful, Bishop and if something happens, we will be ready. _

_Dani, don't worry about us. Your main objective is to keep those kids safe, ours is to make sure they are at least delayed enough for you to do that. _

"Here they come, Bishop," Hellion said as he looked at his teammates.

"Bring it on," Bishop said as Callisto screamed a war cry and they all charged upon the coming Brotherhood.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Family Heritage – Part Five**

_**Heartland's Orphanage – Omaha, Nebraska**_

Ruby knelt down and stared at the chamber with her first name on it. She had never known her last name and this could be a coincidence, but she doubted it. She knew she was Ruby Summers and this was her tube. She not only felt it but the fact that another tube laying not too far from it with her brother's name, John Summers pretty much sealed it. She stood up and looked at the assembled group hovering over her. All of them here looking for answers and supporting two individuals who claim to have come from this orphanage, Sam Guthrie and Steve Connors.

"I want to know who she really is," Rouge said with authority.

"Just give her a moment," Sam said as he watched the girl who looked as surprised as the rest of them by the chambers with her and her brother's names on them.

"Sam, this can't be coincidence. Tell me this isn't strange. Not only are we in the orphanage that Scott and Alex grew up in but this woman who claims to have lived here suddenly has their last name as well?" Siryn inquired with a look to Sam, whom she noticed was having trouble looking in the eyes.

"Yes, but Scott never mentioned he had a sister," Sam began to say.

"But he never said he had another brother either and we just learned about Gabriel," Magma interrupted as she glanced at Mona who nodded.

"Ruby, we need you to tell us everything you know," Sam said as she looked at the woman.

"I remember being here, in this basement with my brother. I don't remember a lot about anything before being here. He used to run tests on us and see how our powers worked. He would bring kids down here and run experiments on them or do things to them. We hated it but Sinister told us that if we didn't obey he would kill our real parents.

"My brother, John, didn't believe our real parents were alive but we obeyed anyway. Sinister used another name, Nathan Mulbury when he was above running the orphanage. It was tough for him because he had to run this place as legit as he could or face investigation, so sometimes children had to be adopted out or he would claim they had been when something went wrong with an experiment," Ruby said as she looked over at Steve and Sam.

"So you do know us?" Sam asked with urgency.

"I don't remember you at all. Your experiments must have happened before I arrived here," Ruby said.

"I can kind of see and remember being on a table here, screaming as my imaginary friend was having stuff taken from him and put into me," Steve said.

"Imaginary friend, that must have been you Sam, before you vanished from this life. I would bet that Sinister took your genetic material and transferred it into Steve but when you vanished from this the material came from someone else," Siryn said.

"Yes, but I wish I remembered more. It's like my brain wants to remember things here but just can't," Sam said looking around again.

"That must be the after affects of my sister's powers and whatever Charles Xavier may have done to you," Mona said.

"I wish we had more answers. Thanks to Ruby we seem to have more questions instead," Fira said as he shivered at all the equipment down in the room.

"Uh, guys, I think I just found something," Warpath said as he pushed aside and found a fire poof safe.

"It's locked," Demon Child said as she tugged on the handle.

"I'll open it," Slash said as he extracted his bone claws.

"I don't even think your bone claws can cut threw this steel," Warpath said as he all his super strength did was put the handle off and leaving the safe locked.

"Wait, let me try. My molten lave should be hot enough to maybe let the door," Magma began to say.

"And risk melting or burning what's inside?" Sam interrupted as he stared at what he felt held the answers they were looking for.

"Let me try something. Sam, can you extend your shield around you and me and then push it through that hole and wrap it around what ever is inside. Then I will try and teleport only what is contained in your energy shield, which would include the contents of the safe," Mona said as she stepped up close to Sam.

Warpath carried the safe and held it in front of Sam and Mona. Sam, focusing on his new old power, he encased them both in his protective energy shield and then he put his finger in the hole of the safe. Concentrating, he pushed out and tried to make his shield coat around the edges and walls of the inside of the safe. When he was done he nodded to Mona. Mona closed her eyes and concentrated on her, Sam and anything inside the energy shield. They both instantly vanished and reappeared a few feet from where they were standing. Everyone turned to see Sam, Mona and what appeared to be the contents of the safe, a vile of something and a file.

"What is it?" Siryn asked as Sam took the file and Mona took the vile.

"I believe this could be Scott's DNA maybe," Mona said as she saw "Summers" written on the side of the tube.

"You're probably right and this file contains everything on Scott and what Sinister's done with him and his DNA," Sam said as he stared at what all was written inside.

"What does it say?" Siryn asked as she stepped up to him.

"Summers Log, Day one: Three boys were brought to this orphanage after being found today. It appears their parents were killed in a plane crash. The boys say their names are Scott, Alex and Gabriel Summers," Sam read out loud.

"Wow, if we didn't believe before there's the proof that there was another brother," Demon Child said looking at Mona.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Siryn asked.

"My eyes, it's like I see what is on here but my brain wants to see something else that's missing," Sam answered.

"I see the truth of it. There is a strange energy around three boys and between Gabriel and Summers. It's like something should be there but it's not," Steve said.

"It could be effects from the insertion of your new life," Mona suggested.

"You're not saying that Sam's name is missing from," Rouge began to say in astonishment.

"No, there's no way. I can believe that I am adopted and came from the same orphanage but there's no way I'm related," Sam said and trailed off.

"Sam, your powers are energy based and there's always been this big brother treatment to you by Scott," Warpath added.

"It just seems too far fetched to start making assumptions," Sam said.

"Sam is right, for now we should keep reading," Siryn said as he urged Sam to continue.

"Up until now my work hasn't meant anything until this day. The mutant gene in these boys are strong and I haven't seen anything close to this since back in the 1860's when I was working with orphans in England, but alas those records are all lost to me. I want to start experiments right away but it seems I will have to wait till the State finished their investigation and official placement of these boys into my care.

"Summers Log Day Three: I have passed all tests and screenings and the boys have been placed into my care, except for one. It seems the State Ward knew a family that wanted to adopt so they took Alex and gave him to the Blandings. I can live with this since Scott is the one with the most potential.

"Summer Log Day Ten: I have successfully isolated the DNA and mutant genome from the boy. It has been very hard working on the boy but my mental blocks should hold. At this point it is too dangerous to take them to the lab but after a few more tests I should be able to extract the DNA and can work without needing the boy. The potential of creating and experimenting with such strong power will be limitless.

"Summers Log Day Twenty: The Summers boys have been a handful and my life outside the orphanage has kept me busy. I have arranged for a nurse at a local hospital to help me in my first experiment. I have infused the Summers DNA with that of eggs waiting for artificial insemination. All have failed and killed the eggs except for six that have taken and have successfully pregnated the women.

"Summers Log Day Two Hundred and Sixty: The Master has been sniffing around asking questions and trying to keep the Summers boys hidden I've had to focus more on the Orphanage and less on experiments. Also, there has been an adoption phase going on and I've had to spend all my time dealing with that. As for my current experiment, four of the six women have had miscarriages. The other two mothers were at full term and ready to give birth. The first baby was still born and its skin was a strange reddish color. The other mother had fled the hospital and ran.

"Summers Log Day Two Hundred and Sixty Three: After killing the mother of the stillborn, the nurse and staff responsible I had put all agents in search of the runaway mother. It seems the mother had made it to New Orleans before she went into labor where she died giving birth. Before I arrived it appeared that the baby had been stolen. Rumor has it that the baby was taken and in the possession of the Thieves Guild. At this point I have no choice but to abandon this one, but I will find him one day and have him," Sam read as the more he read the more he felt sick.

"This is getting to be way too much but it's finally making sense of a lot of things," Rouge said as she couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was too much to be a coincidence.

"So, are we saying Gambit is Scott's brother too?" Fira asked looking at everyone.

"From what I know about genetics, if he is the same baby from the logs, he is genetically related. Sinister infused an embryo with Scotts DNA and mutant gene. So technically he would be Scott's son," Mona said as Rouge about flipped out.

"This is crazy. I guess I never really realized how evil and how obsessed with the X-Men Sinister was until now," Siryn said as she moved closer to Sam.

"What else is in there? Anything about me and my brother?" Ruby asked getting impatient.

"Let's see, mainly more experiments on kids and all going wrong. Scott would die if he knew how many kids died from his genetic material. Here's an entry when Scott and Gabriel left the orphanage. 'Scott and his brother Gabriel have finally escaped the orphanage. It's my fault for trusting too much in the owners and me being away.

"'I finally found the boys but was too late. It seems Xavier has gotten to them. I would have stuck around but Xavier was doing a very intense mind wipe of anyone near by. They will be safe with Xavier and if I want them I know where to find them. In the meantime I have enough of their genetic material that I can still do my experiments.'

"Okay, her are more experiments, all going wrong. Seems like the genetic material tends to be too strong for humans but he's getting better with it. He mentions one boy, Steve lived but showed no signs of powers but never had a chance to follow up when the Connors finally arrived ready to take the child they once wanted. Wait here we go.

"Sinister mentions his success in cloning and cloning mutants so he is going to attempt to make clones from the genetic material he has from Scott. It shows many failed attempts but he had two successes. He had taken two unnamed mutants and cloned them both infusing them with Scott's genetic material and mutant gene code.

"The two took and he soon had two young adults, one male and one female. He named them Ruby and John Summers. Thanks to them he could experiment and use them for further Summers genetic material. He states in here that Ruby and her brother were as perfect as clones could get mirroring his Marauders," Sam said as he looked through the large file.

"I'm a clone? I can't believe this. Despite no memories and everything at least I had always believed I was human and came from somewhere," Ruby said as anger built in her making her eyes glow red.

"You are real, Ruby. Bodies can be made but the soul is still real. You are the genetic duplicate of Scott Summers. For all technical purposes, you are his twin sister and you have a family out there that you come from," Mona said as she calmed the woman down.

"Anything else in there?" Warpath asked.

"Not really, just more experiments and failures and such. Everything he began here or wanted to do ended when Ruby burnt the place down," Sam said.

"Well, looks like the only loose ends from these files would be the baby stolen in New Orleans, Steve who was infused with the Summers mutant gene and Ruby," Siryn said as she glanced through the files.

"Yeah, but who knows what else he might have done. Don't forget how he cloned Jean and produced Cable," Rouge said as she still kept thinking of Gambit and the possibility he was the genetically created son of Scott.

"So where do I go from here?" Ruby asked more to herself as he knelt down and looked at her and her brother's tubes.

"You come with us and we can tell you all about your brother's and the X-Men, your newly discovered family," Sam said as he stepped up behind her and placed a caring hand on her shoulder.

"I, thanks I would like that," Ruby said as she got up and wiped a tear.

"I just wish we had more answers about you Sam. I mean we know you were adopted and there's a chance your real parents were Scott's but no hard proof. Once we get back we could try running some tests," Mona said.

"Thanks," Sam said as he turned and stared at Siryn.

"Sam, what's wrong. You've been acting funny ever since you got your memories back," Siryn said.

"It's just, I love Dani but there's all these old new feelings of," Sam started to say when he reached out, grabbed Theresa and gassed her.

"Sam!" Theresa shouted as she pulled back and began rubbing her head.

"Theresa, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have," Sam started to apologize.

"No, Sam, I remember everything. I remember Mona, the Secret Mutants and you," Theresa said as she pulled back into Sam's kiss.

**Next: Issue #41 – The New Brotherhood – Part Three & Secret Mutants: Family Heritage – Part Six**


	42. The New Brotherhood Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #41 – The New Brotherhood – Part Three**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"We've mopped the floor with your first wave of defense, what makes you think you will fare any better?" Astra asked as they saw the group of mutants heading towards them.

"You will not survive this day," Bishop said as he fired his fun and an energy blast from his other hand bouncing off Astra's force field.

"I was really waiting to destroy you all when Magneto returns but you are forcing my hand," Magnetrix swore as she raised her hands and trusted them forward causing all the spiked points from the front gate to rip off and come flying forward with great force at the oncoming mutants.

Bishop and Callisto barked orders as the deadly spears came at them all. Callisto dodged the spears with ease as Bishop blasted away the ones coming at him. Because Callisto had jumped the gun and led the charge, X-Factor was in the first line of attack. Litterbug, Tether and Pester easily dodged the spears as boost stepped behind Ent and boosted his gift to resist physical injury to protect them both. Unfortunately Erg took a spear to the leg while Jo took a lethal one to the chest. Another member of X-Factor took one in the head killing him while pushing his girlfriend out of harm's way.

"Tan," the former Morlock turned X-man in training cried as she knelt next to her teammate and lover.

"Medusa," Tan whispered before going limp.

"They call you that because of how ugly you are?" Crimson Commando asked as he raised his gun at the bald, brown skinned mutant with large warts all over her face.

"No, because my looks can kill," Medusa cried as she locked eyes with the man and began screaming in pain as her eyes lit up in a grey color as all the warts on her face exploded and sent a streaming mass of strange ooze at the Brotherhood member.

"Get it off, it's eating away at my armor," Crimson Commando said as he stepped back and feeling the heat coming from the gunk that was burning away his armor.

"No prob," Pyra laughed as he let loose his powers and encased his teammate in fire

"Better, now she dies," Crimson Commando said as he stepped out of the fire with the goop gone but leaving dents and small holes in his armor.

"Not a chance dirt bag," Hellion said as he used his tek to grab the villain with a gun and threw him back out the gate.

"Does everyone have telekinesis these day?" Super Sabra asked as he hit Hellion with unseen speed and sending the Generation Next member flying backwards.

"No, some of us have better methods of killing our prey," X-23 said as she hit Super Sabra with both her claws and then sent him backwards with a leg kick with the extracted claw on her foot.

"Oh may," Super Sabra gasps as he hit the floor to see that the claws had ripped open the front of his chest armor and the foot claw had left a large slash in his chest.

Aumente quickly ran to Super Sabra's side. She knelt down by him and placed both hands near his wound. It was all she could do to keep from feinting from all the blood. She knew everyone on this team had a vendetta and thirst for blood but she wasn't so sure about herself. She joined at first for the opportunity to get revenge for the death of her brother but she had begun to wonder if maybe she had made the wrong choices. Maybe she was on the wrong side? She suspected that there was at least one other on the team that felt like her but she didn't know how to address him without risking being wrong and then meet the same fate as her brother by the hands of this Brotherhood. Shaking her head she concentrated on Super Sabra.

_Sabra, I'm enhancing your powers. Concentrate on speeding up your metabolism and your bodies healing, quickly before you bleed to death. _

_Hey, it's working. The wound is closing up. I didn't know my powers could be used as a major healing factor. _

_Normally they wouldn't, but my abilities to enhance your abilities are what's doing the trick. _

"This gets tiresome," Astra said as she ignited her force field to protect her from the attack of M, Jubilee and Husk and then send a pulse blast from her wrists to send them all flying backwards.

"Well, let's see how you fair against me," Chamber said as he called on his powers.

Chamber had gotten better at focusing and controlling his powers. When he had first gotten his powers he had blown out his chest and mouth. That is when he learned that not only was he a mutant but his power was to harness a furnace of psionic energy in his body. This same energy fueled his body, kept him alive without needing to eat or even breathe. During his time with Weapon X Program, they had repaired his body confirming his fear that he was a living furnace of energy and his body acted like a shell. With the fear of loosing his body and becoming living energy, he quickly learned to channel his energy out his mouth s to not destroy his body in the process of using his gifts.

"Well I'll be. Rumors had it ol' Jack Starsmore vanished into freedom from Clan Akkaba but who would have thought his bloodline would be hiding from Apocalypse right under our noses," Astra said as vanished from the line of Chamber's power blast and reappeared behind the mutant.

"What are you talking about?" Jono asked upon hearing the name of his great-great or great-great-great grandfather for the second time in his life, the first was a whispering between his dad and grandfather when he was really young.

"Oh, that is a story for another time, cuz," Astra laughed as she hit the confused Chamber with a gauntlet blast that sent him backwards.

"How can so few cut through us so easily?" Synch asked as he saw Pyra flash fry X-23 and erupt a furnace of fire around the Callisto and her remaining X-Factor members.

"I don't know but they got some wicked powers and they are fighting like team in synch," Bishop said as he nodded at the boy and headed towards Magnetrix.

Synch moved behind the Pyra and reached out with his powers. A rainbow aura surrounded his body as he became in synch with that of Pyra. Seeing the potential of his gift he replicated it and improved it. Pyra gasped as all the fire he had created had snuffed out. He turned and looked at Synch and called on his powers with no successes. Synch looked like a flaming stone statue and was in complete control of anything to do with fire. Then with a quick thought, Synch caused the ground under Pyra to explode in a force of fire sending the Brotherhood member threw the air. Synch signed as the Pyra's powers left him once he had landed just fair enough from his synching zone.

"You better hope my man's armor is strong enough to protect him from that or you'll be dead," One-Eighty said as he stepped up to the stone skinned mutant.

"You think? Let's see what you can do," Synch said as he reached out with his powers and sent his rainbow aura around One-Eighty.

"Nice try kid, but they don't call me One-Eighty for nothing," the Brotherhood member said as he unleashed his powers causing Synch's powers to turn back on him.

"What's going on?" Synch said as he suddenly swayed, fell to the ground and could not move.

"I mentally forced your powers back on you and it appears that it caused them to temporarily short them out which leaves unable to synch with anyone and no longer have the ability or the strength to move your large heavy stone body," One-Eighty laughed as he stared down at the helpless mutant.

"Why don't you remove your helmet and let me see the imposter I'm about to bring down," Bishop said as he blasted Magnetrix.

"You really think you can stop me?" Magnetrix asked as her magnetic field protected her from the blasts and then flicked her hands as she sent several small objects at Bishop.

"Don't really do your homework as well as you think you do if you think that will stop me," Bishop laughed as blasted away some of the objects while the other bounced off his skin with no real injury.

"Oh, I've done my homework. When charged with power and using your gift your skin is immune to most all power and physical attacks and even lends some resistance to sharp objects, but you can still be cut and the smallest of cuts is all I need," Magnetrix said with a smile.

"What?" Bishop began to say when he suddenly felt weird and looked at the few bleeding cuts on his arms.

"You see, I just injected a metal alloy into your body and am controlling it as we speak racing it into and around your heart," Magnetrix answered as she saw the fear in the man's eyes.

"Please, leave the children alone," Bishop pleased as he began to sweat profusely and felt his arm going numb.

"Now, get out of my way, I've come for something and I will have it," Magnetrix said as she clenched her fist causing Bishop to clutch his chest and fall over as she ripped off the entire entry way into the mansion with her powers as she and Aumente stepped over the twitching mutant and entered Xavier's School for Mutants.

_**Epilogue**_

"The time for judgment is at hand, Benjamin Xavier," a giant robot looking creature said as it looked down at the bald man chained to the floor.

"Please, do what you want to me but leave the others alone," Charles Xavier said as he looked up at the twenty beings that surrounded him in a big circle.

Charles was surprised to see them. He had been certain that he and the others had destroyed them after they had altered the Totems and stolen their power. His best friend Erik Eisenhardt had protested, saying that they had all done enough. They had created potentially the futures most powerful new race of homosuperiors. Mutants as they would be called. Then there were those like Shaw and En Sabah Nur who said that they could all become like gods with this kind of power and they shouldn't just throw it away. Charles didn't know what to do. They all agreed that these beings had to be destroyed, but did their power have to go with them?

His other best friend, and secret confidant, Gene Grey suggested they could alter and harness this power into Totems taking it away from the Celestial owners. Each of them would be responsible for their own Totem and if anyone began to become corrupt they would answer to all of them. Xavier saw this as a way not to fully give up such power and to make Grey happy he agreed and the Totems were altered and that was soon the end of these beings, or so he had thought. He knew what they did was wrong, but despite the bad seeds, in the end a lot of good had come out of it. A lot of good and powerful mutants that had been born to save the world over and over again.

"We offered your race a gift and with your greed you stole what was not yours. That power is ours and not meant for you to try and play gods," one of the being said.

"We want our power back and you all must pay," said the being that had posed as Jean and accused him for the destruction of its Totem. ****See Sensation X-Men #27 & 29****

"You are right and we were wrong. We should never have stolen your powers. That is why I destroyed the Totems and mind wiped everyone so this power would no longer be abused and for all those involved, they are all dead but me," Xavier cried.

"I can see into your mind. We may not have our powers but you posse mine so I can tell you lie. You never truly destroyed the Totems. You kept the pieces hidden away until the day you could learn to put them together and use them all for your own devise. Unfortunately, two Totems had been stolen, the Phoenix & the Beast," one of the Celestial beings said looking at Xavier.

"Unfortunately, the Totem of the Phoenix had not only had its powers turned into an actual life form but the Totem was recreated and destroyed (**in X-Calibur #11**) leaving me like this," the only small Celestial said.

"Even if I gave you the Totems back, they are broken and the power gone from them," Xavier said.

"Yes, but we can reconstruct them and use them as you did on us," one of the other beings said.

"Yes, brother, you are right. As I see into this one, our power has been genetically enhanced and passed down the generations. We will just have to tear it from the children as their fore fathers and Benjamin Xavier had done to us," the Celestial connected to Xavier said as he glared down at the Earthling.

"But it will only work if we have the purest of them," another Celestial being added.

"No, that will kill them," Charles pleaded wishing that those today would not be punished for what they did all those hundreds of years ago.

"We must act immediately. Use this thief as an anchor and connection to Earth, the Totems and our powers and bring every being genetically connected here so we may take back what was once ours," the Celestial being commanded as Xavier cried out in protest.

*****To be continued in the upcoming X-Men: GenetiX #1 starting the crossover event that changes everything you thought you knew about Charles Xavier and his X-Men**** **

_**

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**_

The Secret Mutants

**Family Heritage – Part Six**

_**Heartland's Orphanage – Omaha, Nebraska**_

"Sam!" Amara shouted as Sam jumped away from Theresa and saw that everyone was staring at him.

"I don't know what came over me," Theresa said as she blushed a little as her head pounded from the flood of memories that came in of her time with the Secret Mutants and her feelings for Sam.

"How could you do that to Dani?" Amara asked again with anger.

"Amara, calm down," Rouge said as she placed her blue hand on her shoulder.

"How can you all be so calm about this?" Amara asked as she looked at each of her friends and teammates.

"Unlike the rest of us, you don't have your true memories back. We all remember how in love Sam and Theresa used to be," Rouge said as she touched Amara's check in reassurance as she stared at her blue flesh upon Amara's white skin.

Rouge was trying to get used to all that was happening to them and especially to the changes that she's gone through. She was born with the ability to absorb the power and memories of those she touched. This ability was so powerful that she could not risk touching them so she had to go through life avoiding human contact. Sometimes the powers and ability left her and other times she permanently kept them, no matter how many she took at one time. This always made it hard for her to love or be with those she cared about in risk of hurting them like her first love, Cody, so she left her family, went on the run, was adopted by a villain named Mystique, joined her Brotherhood until she reformed and was taken in by her new family, the X-Men. A family she could fit in with others like her, but still not touch or love fully.

Then just as she was starting to gain control of her life and powers, she is taken and reshaped into one of Apocalypse's Horsemen and then reverted back after his defeat and fall. Not only was her body wiped clean of all previous powers and memories but she had gained the ability to control her powers so her touch wasn't deadly. Of course she had to really concentrate and be careful not to go too far. Ready to really have her life back and really give love a chance, her man and most of her friends and teammates remained lost in space leaving her to be stuck behind with a bunch students and former New Mutants to help and keep watch on for Emma until her rescue team returned from Space. ****See issues of Sensation X-Men****

Just when she was getting used to her life, something totally unreal happened to her. Come to find out that Xavier had covered up a bunch of secrets about previous mutant teams. One she had been a part of that she wasn't aware of until recently when all her memories came flooding back. Not only did she remember her life before and after her insertion by Moira, her body had altered and reverted back to what it should have been. She could no longer mimic people's powers with a touch or absorb their memories. Using her second sight ability to foresee one's powers and genetic makeup, she can shape shift her genetic code to duplicate one's powers.

There were pros and cons to this of course. She could no longer have more than one person's power at a time, like she used to, but she could now take ones power without having to touch them or harm them. Not only was she free to enjoy the human touch without a second thought but could use one's powers with great mastery. The only problem was that when she took on a person's power, she couldn't take a new one until her body shifted back on its own, which she had no control over it. She could have the power for a few minutes or for hours, even days she didn't know and had to live with that as well as her skin turning to it's true color, blue, like her mother.

That was the next kicker, her real family. She could live with Nightcrawler being her real half-brother but it also meant that her parents were Destiny and Mystique. Somehow Mystique had shape shifted and by a miracle had conceived a child with Destiny. She got her foresight to see one's power and genetic gene at its full mastery from Destiny which made using her ability to shape shift her mutant gene with accuracy and ease. She just wished her mother's gene hadn't been the dominate of the two so she could have had her other mother's skin tone. She just didn't know how this was all going to work out once her mother returned from space, if she ever did.

"I, um think this is a discussion for another time and will be addressed between me and Dani," Sam said nervously.

"Sam's right, we have other things to worry about right now," Theresa said as they all nodded looking at Sinister's secret lab and the newly discovered cloned sister of Cyclops, Ruby Summers.

"So, do you think there are others out there like Ruby, Steve or maybe even Sam out there that are connected to or related to Scott?" Fira asked.

"Or any one else that was experimented on by Sinister that wasn't necessarily involved with the Summers genetic experiments," Mona added as they all looked to Ruby.

"Don't look at me. Very few survived Sinister's experiments and once the Summers arrived the only experiments he did only focused on Scott and his DNA, which it appears involved Steve and possible Sam here," Ruby said she seemed to get herself back in control and was taking a more serious stance.

"I don't want to even think about it. The Marauders, Madelyn Pryor, himself, who knows what else he has done or created. It gives me a headache," Siryn said as she rubbed her temple.

"Well, at least we can say the man is dead leaving us only his last experiment gone bad, Modifier," Cannonball said as he thought about the one time X-Man known as Mimic.

"Wait a minute, Sam do you think this Sinister could have done something to your current brothers and sisters. Most of their powers seem to be energy based and is it a coincidence that you were inserted into a new life where all your siblings are mutants as well?" Mona asked.

"She could be right, when her sister inserted you into your new life you were drawn to something connected to you on some level. Kind of like how I could still see you after you were gone but thought you were imaginary," Steve added.

"You know, I think I recall Sinister mentioning something once about creating a virus laced with Scott's energy pattern to put in the water of a town to see if people would mutate or create mutants but it had been stolen by a thief who had broken into the orphanage back when Scott first came here. I just know of this when not long before I escaped here a mutant arrived with a photo of a man that he believed was the one that had stolen it," Ruby said.

"Who was the man?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. Sinister killed the mutant for taking so many years to track the thief down. I remember Sinister killing him and tossing him across the room and the photo slipping form his hand as he hit the floor, but before Sinister could go and retrieve the photo something came up that called him to storm above ground. I don't know if he ever went back for the photo or not," Ruby said.

"I can sense the energy around her and she's telling us all she knows or believes she remembers," Steve said looking at them.

"Maybe it's nothing but maybe there's more," Sam said as he felt his whole simple life becoming complex and turning upside down.

"But you need to know, any of us would want to know if it was our family," Amara said as she thought about the idea she was related to Storm and how remembering that like the others could change or confuse where she actually came from.

"Let me try something," Rouge said as she called on her powers, foresaw the genetic makeup of Steve and caused her mutant gene to shift and change until she had the same powers as Steve.

"Wow, Anna, your eyes are glowing," Illyana said in excitement.

"Let's see if I can do this," Rouge said as she had Ruby retell the story and then called on her new powers.

She instantly saw the energy around Ruby and by reading it she knew it to be true, but then she started doing something that Scott either didn't know about or hadn't evolved and developed yet, she was seeing the energy of the story with the energy left behind by that mutant. It was faint but it was enough to see where he had been tossed by Sinister. She went over to the area in a far end of the lab but the energy remained very faint where the body had landed. She knew she had done all she could do but she quickly shouted orders to Slash to se if he could still pick up the scent of the mutant and if he could smell it upon any other objects.

"Do even have to ask?" Slash said as he walked over to the spot and sniffed the ground and then looked up and over. "Feint, but enough I can match the scent with something over here." Slash got up, walked over to a vent near the floor, slashed it open and reached in pulling out a photo.

"Great job," Fira cheered as she ran next to Slash as Illyana rolled her eyes.

"OMG," Sam said as he took the photo and looked at it while turning pale white.

"You recognize the man in the photo?" Ruby asked as she walked over and glanced at the photo.

"Mona, I need you to teleport us all to the Kentucky State Prison," Sam said as he flipped the photo around to reveal a rough looking man by the name of Lucas Bartholemew Guthrie, his uncle.

**Next: Issue #42 – The New Brotherhood – Part Four & Secret Mutants: Family Heritage – Part Seven**


	43. The New Brotherhood Part Four

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #42 – The New Brotherhood – Part Four**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

_**Security Control Room**_

"They are mopping the floor with us. Bishop and his team are not faring very well. They'll more than likely penetrate the mansion. Can you guys get any read on them?" Sage asked as she and Network scanned over the monitors.

"Nothing, it appears that their armored helmets they are wearing protect them from telepaths," the Cuckoos all said at once.

"It is true, I can't enter their minds either," Lilandro said as he felt for the first time what it was like to be denied the power of his telepathy.

"I was afraid of that. If she is a Magneto knock off and working with Astra, why wouldn't they all have the same mental protection the original had," Sage said with a few choice swear words.

"Do we know who we're dealing with?" Preview asked as she knew that Sage, Network and Prodigy were doing everything they could to confirm all identities of their attackers.

"We've confirmed Astra and Regan Wyngarde AKA Lady Mastermind. Pyra is Jack Allerdyce, Pyro's younger brother. The Brotherhood broke him out of jail for the death of some college kids. Of course, Magnetrix and Super Sabra, their armors are a little different than the others. We can't even come up with a close guess who those two are," Prodigy answered.

"One-Eighty is an eighty percent chance of matching Emma's brother Christian. We have confirmation that the Brother attacked and broke out a patient from the Massachusetts Asylum for the Mentally Insane and there is speculation that Frost's parents sent Christian away to a facility. Much isn't known about Emma's brother nor has she provided any data," Network reported as Preview flinched at how much her sister was becoming more computer than human.

"Due to the use of her telepathy and using her powers to enhance other's powers we were able to get some Psi data thanks to Lilandro and by searching the data base Network is ninety percent sure that Aumente, the one sticking close to Magnetrix, is Maria Cortez, Anna and Fabien's half sister," Prodigy said.

"Due to the hole in the armor I have just been able to scan and obtain the DNA. It seems Crimson Commando is Fletcher Hamilton. He is the nephew of Stonewall, the bastard son of Frank the original Crimson Commando and presumably named after their war buddy, the original Super Sabre," Network reported.

"Quite the team assembled. I would almost have to wonder if Sabra and Magnetrix are related or connected to Magneto or one of his varies Brotherhoods like the others," Sage pondered.

"Oh, no, Bishop is going to die," Preview said as she suddenly got one of her visions and filled them in.

"That's it, send word to Bishop and the rest of the team we are unleashing everything the mansions got," Sage commanded as her team was about to go into action until a strange light distracted them all.

"The Totem of the Mind calls its power back," a robotic face appeared and proclaimed as a blast went out hitting all three Cuckoos and Lilandro causing them to vanish from sight.

"What is that?" Prodigy asked as he looked to Sage with Panic.

"I don't know but it just took out our telepaths. We," Sage began to say when a blast of light hit her.

"The Totem of Communication calls its power back," the large robot as it vanished seconds after Sage had vanished.

"What just happened?" Prodigy asked as suddenly an electrical feedback zapped Network and sent to the floor while Prodigy looked up to see Bishop on the ground and Magnetrix ripping the mansion asunder as she entered.

_**The Grounds Outside the Gate**_

The fire blasts from Pyra faded as Shola and Tosha nodded at each other in exhaustion as they released the joint tek shield they had placed around them all to protect them from a fiery death. Shola looked back down and cried out in pain. He hadn't realized how much of his power and attention the tek shield had taken from him allowing his hold on Karima's wounds to release. The once Omega Sentinel turned good and terminally ripped apart back to human now lay still next to him. Shola held the lifeless body of Karima Shapandar and began to cry.

"It seems her wounds were to grave, there was nothing you could have done," Tosha said to the man wondering why she even cared about this man and his grief before turning back towards her father.

"My, God, Nathan, what did she do to you," Domino said as she held her side and looked over at the one man she had ever truly grown to care about.

"We have to help him," Tosha said as she knelt down next to her convulsing father.

"The Totem of the Phoenix calls back its power," a large robotic head said as it appeared, blasted both Cable and Tosha causing them to vanish from sight and then follow right after.

_What's going on? I can't read or feel Cable anywhere. It's as if he's vanished form the face of the Earth. _

"I don't know," Domino responded to Blaqueamith's mental voice as she stared blankly at where Cable and Tosha once stood as Shatterstar knelt down next to her and began to tend to her wound.

_**Just Outside the Entrance to Xavier's Mansion**_

"Where is the Mansion's Security?" Jubilee asked as she looked over and saw Magnetrix and Aumente rip apart the front of the mansion and enter.

"I don't know but I think I saw Bishop drop before being buried by the ruble from what used to be the front of the mansion," Husk answered as Generation Next, Callisto and X-Factor gathered together as Pyra, Super Sabra, Astra, Lady Mastermind, One-Eighty and Crimson Commando game together and ready for a final showdown.

"Minus, Tan, Jo and Bishop it seems we are all well enough battle," Callisto said as she saw some of the wounded like X-23 and Erg forcing themselves in preparation of a final stand.

"Stand down and we may let you all live," Astra called out to the small force gathered before her and the rest of the Brotherhood.

"Never!" Hellion screamed as he glanced over and saw Synch regaining his powers and stance thanks to synching up with his own powers.

They all prepared to attack when a large robot looking head appeared between the two forces.

"What is that?" One-Eighty asked as both sides suddenly paused at their unexpected quest.

"The Totem of the Mind calls back its powers," the robot head said as a blast hit One-Eighty causing him to vanish form sight.

"Christian!" Pyra screamed as he sent a fiery blast at the head.

"What is that thing?" M asked as Hellion and Synch threw up a field to deflect the fire blast as it passed harmlessly through the robot head.

Before any of them could react the robot began repeating phrases while sending out beams of light.

"The Totem of Power calls back its power," it said as Husk vanished from sight.

"The Totem of Substance calls back its power," it said as Ent vanished from sight.

"The Totem of the Beast calls back its power," it said as X-23 vanished from sight.

"The Totem of the Magnet calls back its power," it said as Super Sabra vanished from sight.

"The Totem of the Shifter calls back its power," it said as Astra and Chamber vanished from sight and then vanished along with them.

"Somebody better tell me what just happened!" Pyra screamed as what was left of both groups stared in shock by what had just happened.

_**Secured Basement of the Mansion**_

"What was that?" Lucinda asked as she looked at Banshee after the ground seemed to shake.

"Front of mansion gone, thank you very much. Please don't panic, many of us have vanished," Blindfold started to mumble.

"What is she talking about?" Luna asked as she was still not used to all of the students here at the mansion, but she was trying since she agreed to come work here to be with her girlfriend, Xi'an.

"I have a feeling that they may have gained entrance to the mansion," Banshee said as he looked at the group in the basement and wondered if it was time to head to the tunnels.

Banshee looked as saw Lucinda, Skids, and Luna gathering all the younger students and moving them farther back and towards the door that lead down to the tunnels. The older students that were part of an actual squad moved toward Banshee upon his command. Even his own squad, Gen X stayed near him instead of following after the younger students. If they had breached the mansion he knew he didn't have much time so he would have to give quick commands to these squads and hope that they were up to the responsibility. Some would go to defend the students entering the tunnels while others would stay behind with him to hold the Brotherhood back while they escaped into the tunnels.

"I will not let them take my son," Amelia said as she pulled Skywalker near her officially announcing to everyone of her connection to the young mutant.

"They won't if we all remain calm and do as I say," Banshee began to say when out of nowhere a giant robotic head appeared in the basement and started calling out and blasting mutants with beams of light, including Banshee.

"Mr. Cassidy!" Wiz Kid screamed as Banshee vanished while the Robot continued on to its next victims.

"The Totem of Communication calls back its power," it said as they all suddenly noticed a girl they had never seen before come into sight and then vanish.

"The Totem of the Eye calls back its power," it said as Blindfold vanished.

"The Totem of Life calls back its power," it said as Healer vanished.

"The Totem of Matter calls back its power," it said as Species vanished.

"The Totem of the beast calls back its power," it said as Wolfcub vanished.

"The Totem of Substance calls back its power," it said as Loa vanished.

"The Totem of the Phoenix calls back its power," it said as Joey and Gailyn Bailey vanished.

"The Totem of Power calls back its power," is said as Icarus, Giantess, Aura, Lewis and Lea, Bluefire, Blindspot and Shadowess all vanished right before their mother's eyes.

"Where did my babies go?" Lucinda screamed in pure horror.

"The Totem of the Magnet calls back its power," the robot head said as it vanished along with Skywalker.

"Jerrod!" Amelia's scream joined Lucinda's as the entire basement erupted in shock and fear over the disappearances of their fellow mutants.

_**Mansion Entrance**_

"Stop, Magneto pretender. I will not let you harm any of my students," Dani said as she, Karma, Wolfsbane, Rictor, Flashfire and Sunspot took formation in front of Magnetrix and Aumente.

"Do not call me that loser's name. I am no pretender, I am Magnetrix," Magnetrix screamed as she brought down her hands along with the ceiling above the former New Mutants.

Rictor immediately sent his powers upwards causing the ceiling to rip apart and fall harmlessly on each side of them. Flashfire sent a blast of fire at Magnetrix while Wolfsbane transformed and leapt at Aumente.

"The helmets are protecting them from my mental powers," Karma said.

"Mine as well," Psyche said as Sunspot followed up the fire blast with his powered up punch sending Magnetrix backwards.

"Kill them," Aumente said as she boosted Wolfsbane's powers causing her to become a full feral wolf while using her telepathy to mentally manipulate her mind into attacking her friends.

"Rahne," Sunspot said in surprise as the wolf hit him to the ground and tried to tear out his throat.

"Down girl!" Xi'an commanded as she took control of her friend's mind and forced her to sit and then revert back to normal after a few seconds.

"Aumente, boost me," Magnetrix commanded as she felt the sudden flow of power.

"We need to take the power charger out," Psyche said as Rictor called on his powers and started to focus them towards Aumente.

"I've had it will all of you. I will get what I came for and if it means killing you sooner than planed so be it," Magnetrix said as she pulled the walls, floor and anything metal around them with her supped up powers and completely forming it around each of her opponents, binding and trapping them while pushing them to the point of almost being crushed.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Dani asked as she felt her body ready to snap at any moment.

"I am your death," Magnetrix said as she called on her power and prepared to crush each of them when a giant robot looking head appeared in the war torn room.

"The Totem of the Beast and the Totem of the Magnet calls back its powers," the robot said as a blast of white energy hit Wolfsbane and Magnetrix causing them to disappear along with the giant robot head leaving Aumente to stare confusingly at the spot where her mistress had once been while the hold on the mutants loosened and they began to free themselves.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Family Heritage – Part Seven**

_**Kentucky State Prison**_

"What the?" Lucas Bartholemew Guthrie asked in surprise as two figures appeared out of thin air in his cell.

"We need to talk, Uncle Luke," Cannonball said stepping close to his uncle.

"Sam, what is going on?" Lucas Guthrie asked as he suddenly found himself standing in the middle of a forest surrounded by his nephew and ten other colorful looking people.

"I need answers," Sam said as looked at his uncle.

"Sam, I feel bad for what I've done in my life. That is why I am trying to become a better man and facing my time in jail. You have to put me back before they discover I am gone," Lucas pleaded.

"Don't worry, I'll put you back but first I need some answers, please Uncle Luke, you at least owe me this," Sam said as he expression went from hard to soft.

"Fine, Sam, I help you the best I can but then I need to get back," Lucas responded.

"First, was I adopted?" Sam asked already knowing the answers to his real life but wondered about the life he had been inserted into.

"No, Sam, you were never adopted. I mean, I don't remember the time of your birth like I do the rest of your brothers and sister but I know every one of you came from my brother and his wife. Why do you ask this?" Lucas asked finding his nephews behavior odd.

"Never mind, what I have you here for is very important and I need you to tell me the truth, all of it and I will know if you lie or hold back," Sam said as Steve stepped up next to him and he head he extracting of Daken's claw and tried to ignore the man's helping threat.

"What is it?" Lucas asked as he tried not to look at the man with claws.

"What do you know about a Nathan Mulbury and an orphanage he ran? You might also know him by the name of Mr. Sinister or Nathaniel Essex," asked.

"I'm sorry Sam, I've never heard of him. I can't tell you anything," Lucas said as he began to sweat.

"He's lying," Steve said as Sam nodded and reached into his pocket.

"I'm only going to ask this one more time. Tell me what you know about Mr. Sinister, why he'd have a picture of you in his lab at the orphanage and what you know about a virus he was creating," Sam asked threateningly as he took a step towards his uncle and throwing his picture in his face.

"Sam, okay, but what I'm about to tell you is not good and I'm not proud of it, but remember this was a long time ago and I was very young," Lucas said.

"Just spill it already," Theresa said growing impatient as Sam gave her a glare and then turned back to his uncle.

"Luke, I want to hear it all," Sam said.

"Okay, as you know, even at a young age your dad was always the perfect one and I was always getting in trouble. One day I was desperate for money and hadn't eaten in days so I came upon an orphanage and broke in to get what I needed. Unfortunately I came across a passageway that led into the basement where I found a lab where it looked like weird things were going on.

"I knew that I had to get out of there and fast. I was about to leave when a boy trapped in a cage begged me for help. I don't remember the kid's name, but he said Mr. Sinister would be back and that he had been experimenting on him. Had used him to make some kind of poison and pointed to a vial on a nearby desk.

"I was going to help him, I swear but I then heard a commotion upstairs and from the fear in the boy's eyes I imagined it must be this Mr. Sinister. So I grabbed the vial and got out of there. I felt bad about leaving the boy, but I was young and scared. I then eventually came to live with my brother and his new bride.

"I had kept the vial with my belongings and had forgotten about it until one day. I got really mad at my brother for turning me in for steeling. Just as the cops arrived and poured the vial of poison in his coffee mug figuring that would teach him a lesson. Once I did it I regretted it but it was too late, the cops had arrived and took me away as he smiled and drank his coffee. I felt relieved when the news of my brother's death never came. That's everything I know," Lucas said.

"I can't believe it, you tried to kill dad? Your own brother?" Sam asked in disgust.

"Oh, Sam," Theresa said putting her hand on his shoulder.

"Instead of killing your dad the stuff in the vial must have altered his DNA. Sinister's experiment had worked. It wasn't exposure to the minds that mutated his children giving them powers, it was the effects of the serum he drank," Mona explained.

"Can you imagine what would have happened if a whole town would have drank that?" Rouge asked in amazement.

"I'm really sorry, Sam. If that's true, it's my fault you all were turned into mutie freaks," Lucas said as Sam jumped up and raised his fist but stopped when a large robotic head appeared out of nowhere and started shooting beams of light at them all.

"The Totem of Power calls back its power," it said as Sam, Steve and Ruby vanished.

"The Totem of the Beast calls back its power," it said as Slash vanished.

"The Totem of the Shifter and Eye calls back its power," is said as Rouge vanished.

"The Totem of the Storm calls back its power," it said as Magma vanished.

"The Totem of the Flame calls back its power," it said as Fira vanished.

"The totem of Matter calls back its power," it said as Demon Child vanished.

"The Totem of Man calls back its power," it said as Warpath vanished.

"The Totem of Sound calls back its power," it said as Siryn vanished.

"The Totem of Time & Space calls back its power," it said as the robot head vanished right after it had hit Mona with a white beam of light leaving Lucas Guthrie standing in the woods all alone.

"Sam?" Lucas began to ask when something sharp cut off his speech.

"That was bizarre, something familiar about that head. Anyway, looks like Sinister had created something of value. I might have to give Sam and the Guthrie clan a closer look," Romulus said as the metal claws attached to his wrist retracted allowing Lucas to fall to the ground cuffing the fatal wound in his neck.

"The Totem of the Beast calls back its power," a voice said from behind him causing Romulus to turn around just in time to be hit by a white beam of light.

**Next: Issue #43 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part One & Secret Mutants: Next Generation – Part One**

****To see what happened to those that vanished, check out the X-Men: GenetiX limited series, posted now. *****


	44. Fall of the New Mutant Generation Part 1

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #43 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part One**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

_**Office of the Headmistress**_

Xi'an stood staring at her friend wishing there was something more she could say. All hell had broken loose and then after that they were attacked by the New Brotherhood and quickly followed up by a mysterious robotic head showing up and zapping several students, staff and friends with a beam of light causing them to vanish instantly. This, Xi'an was afraid, was the final straw that would cause Dani, who has tried so hard to run this place with and without Sam with no success. Xi'an felt relieved about the robots in the simple fact that it had taken Magnetrix before she could kill them, but unfortunately it had taken Wolfsbane and seconds after came back and took Flashfire as well. After that it was easy to get free of their metal bondage and take Aumente into custody.

"We can definitely rule out the Brotherhood as the cause since they lost four of their own, including their leader, Magnetrix. We have the remaining members, Aumente, Pyra, Lady Mastermind and Crimson Commando all powerless in secure holding cells. They won't be going anywhere," Xi'an said.

"What about the casualties and injured?" Dani spoke for the first time since Xi'an had come into her office.

"We lost Tan and Jo, members of X-Factor as well as Karima of X-Force. As far as injuries, nothing too serious and thanks to Previews warning, Bishop had been alerted enough in time to be prepared and fake a heart attack. He's just mad that by the time he charged in to get the jump on Magnetrix she had been zapped away," Xi'an said.

"What of the students?" Dani asked.

"They are pretty shaken up. Luna and the upper squad students, including Generation Next are keeping an eye on them. What is left of us, including X-Force are waiting in the conference room. Blaquesmith and Irene just arrived," Xi'an answered.

"Okay," Dani said as she slowly got up and, like a zombie in motion, followed her friend and teammate into the conference room.

As soon as they entered the room went from noisy to quiet instantly. As Dani sat down she took a look at who was sitting around the table. She knew right away that Bishop was missing but that was because he was with Network getting security and repairs back online and going. At the table were Karma, Sunspot, Rictor, Skids, who was still crying over the loss of Rusty, Lucinda Guthrie, who demanded to be present since her entire family had disappeared, and Callisto rounding out all of who was left of her Staff and Squad Leaders. Also in the room was the hysterical Amelia Voght whose son was among the missing and the members of X-Force; Domino, Blaquesmith, Irene Merryweather, Shatterstar, Caliban, Meltdown, Bedlam and Shola who were all recovering form their injuries and the death of one of their own.

"The good news is, according to my scans, those missing were not vaporized. The signature matches that of a long range teleporter. From what I could scan and trace, they've been taken somewhere deep into space," Blaquesmith said once Dani was seated.

"Where did they go and who took them?" Lucinda cried.

"From what Network could pull up with our computer resources, they look like a form of a Celestial," Blaquesmith answered.

"A Celestial, what would they want with us?" Meltdown asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with the X-Men in space?" Sunspot suggested.

"Hard to say why they took who they did, but my gut tells me there is a reason for why they took who they took," Domino said as she looked over at Dani.

"Do we have a list of who they all took?" Dani asked as she waited for the list that she already knew most of who was on it.

"From the Corsairs they took the Cuckoos. From the New Mutants they took Icarus and Blindfold. From the Alpha Squad they took Loa. From the Mutant Force they took Giantess. From the Hellions they took Skywalker. From the Exemplars they took Aura, Shield, Shove and Lewis and Lea Guthrie known as Power2. From the Paragons they took their squad leader Wolfsbane and Wolfcub. From the Excelsiors they took Bluefire, Species and Blindspot. From X-Factor they took Ent. From the X-Terminators they took their squad leader Flashfire. From Gen X they took their squad leader Banshee and Shadowess. From Generation Next they took Chamber, Husk and X-23. From the staff they took Sage, Healer and Lilandro. Lastly, from X-Force they took Cable and his daughter Tosha," Xi'an said as she read the list given to her by Network.

"It seems that they only pattern we could come up with, besides those being related like the Guthries, Cuckoos and Cable and his daughter, is that many could be grouped into similar power sets," Irene said as she looked at a data pad with Blaquesmith.

"I just wonder what this is all about," Skids asked as she tried to compose herself.

"I just want my babies back and take them far away from this place," Lucinda said softly but loud enough that everyone heard.

"Whoever they are, they are cowards not to face us directly," Shatterstar proclaimed.

"Yes, I will kill them with my bare hands if they have so much as harmed a hair on my child's head," Amelia said with a mother's rage.

"I think it's time we get in touch with Sam and the others and demand they come back," Dani said.

"Well, might be a problem with that. Cable wanted me to keep tabs on them and it seams Sam, Mona, Rouge, Siryn, Magma, Illyana, Sunpyre and Warpath have vanished as well. Their last known coordinates we found the same transporter traces as we found here. We have to assume that these Celestials got the whole lot of them," Blaquesmith said.

"My God, Sam. No wonder they were gone so long and he wasn't returning my messages," Dani said as she tried to keep the panic in her body from taking over.

"There's more," Irene added.

"What do you mean, more?" Xi'an asked in disgust.

"I started doing scans for these transporter emissions and cross referencing with mutant signatures with Cerebra and found that we weren't the only mutants targeted," Blaquesmith answered.

"It seems Hazel, Cordelia and Adrienne Frost have vanished adding to our family theory. We have confirmation from Salem-X that Wanda Maximoff, VivaMuerte, Cloak, Darklight have vanished as well as Wiccan and another mutant that was with him and a group of unidentified heroes. Word from X-Calibur is that Nightcrawler, Shadowcat, Marvel Girl and a few others on their team were taken as well as reports from Alpha Flight saying Wolverine vanished in a similar method," Irene reported as a complete list of who they had been able to find read out in front of them on a computer screen.

"I didn't know Logan was back," Dani said as she glanced at the others.

"It seems he appeared out of nowhere in Canada, joined Alpha Flight and wished to keep his return quiet for now until he vanished," Irene said.

"Maybe he got away from these things and they caught up to him. It might add to the theory of all this connected to the X-Men missing in space," Rictor said.

"Whatever this is, it's bigger than all of us," Domino added as she wished she knew where Nathan was and if he was okay.

"It seems coming here wasn't sure a safe idea for my people," Callisto said.

"You're more than welcome to leave and fend for yourselves," Sunspot spat back.

"That's enough, no one is going anywhere. It seems now more than ever, till we can figure out what happened to everyone and where they went we have to stick together. We have a whole school that now outnumbers us by far and our main mission is to protect them and what's left of this school," Dani said as she looked at everyone and finally getting it together and taking charge again.

"How do we divide up the children amongst us?" Skids asked.

"We will have to reevaluate the current squads," Dani began to say when Lucinda burst into tears.

"How can you all just carry on when all my babies are missing? Out first priority is sending out search parties to find them," Lucinda cried in anger.

"I have to agree with the flatscan," Amelia said as she got a few glares.

"I will do everything in my power to scan and search for traces that will lead me to them. Other than that there isn't anything more we can do," Blaquesmith said.

"He's right, we just can't go off wile into space, especially when we don't even know where to go," Xi'an added.

"Lucinda, you are free to go, anyone is, but I wish all of you would stay and help me here. Until we get anymore clues or leads, we must focus on the protection and welfare of the children still here at this school," Dani said firmly.

"I agree, and X-Force will remain here to help Bishop with the security and protection of the school and assist in any way we can to you," Domino said as she took officially took over the role of leader of X-Force.

"Then it's settled. Let's go over some reorganization and restructuring of the staff and squads and try and put some normalcy back into these kids' lives," Dani said as she started going over the new plans.

_**Epilogue**_

"It seems that Shadow Nova has mysteriously vanished at the hands of some creature. I have taken in her lot under my care since she left them without guidance," a mysterious figure in a dark cloak said as she looked down upon the School of Mutants from atop a hills.

"Yes, and it seems from my Intel, that my cousin along with almost the whole staff and some students have met the same fate as you described," Black Tom Cassidy said as e stepped up next to the figure.

"Then now is the time to move in and take them all down, once and for all," Modifier said as he joined the other two marveling in their quest for revenge upon the X-Men.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Next Generation – Part One**

"Where's your boyfriend?" Elixir asked as he flashed a smile against his gold skin.

"He's busy helping with Dani and them again. He even thinks he might be stepping into a bigger role here or something with all the mutants gone missing," Surge said as electricity crackle around her fingers.

"Sounds like someone is jealous," Elixir teased.

"Is that why you didn't invite him?" Wind Dancer asked as she entered the room.

"No, I am not jealous and I didn't invite him because…just because," Surge said with a glare.

"Well, I see you had no problem inviting your boyfriend," Elixir added with a touch of spite as Hellion came walking into the room.

"He's not my boyfriend," Wind Dancer glared and then blushed as she waved at the former leader of the Hellions and current member of Generation Next.

"Hey guys, nice club," Hellion laughed as he looked around.

"I don't even see why he's here. He's got his team of junior X-Men wanna bes," Surge replied.

"Hey," Wind dancer began to defend the new comer to the room.

"Don't need to defend me to her. I may be a part of Generation Next, but they aren't what I thought they'd be. When Sofia told me about what you guys were doing I felt it was a good idea and wanted to be a part of it,' Hellion said.

"We agree and that's why we accepted when he invited us," a voice came from behind Hellion.

"Oh great," Elixir said as he saw Wither and his girlfriend and teammate Mercury come in.

"Why not let all the Hellions in? Where are they?" Surge asked.

"Dust can't be trusted as she is being caught up with our teachers since she is a Squad Leader and honestly, I didn't think Rockslide and Tag made a good fit here," Hellion said as he knew both members actually resented him ever since he got picked to be a member of Generation Next.

"Guys, we need to get along or this won't work," Wind Dancer pleaded.

"She's right," Surge mumbled as Elixir reluctantly nodded as well.

"As much as we all might want to be X-Men, they've vanished and now a bunch of the teachers and students have as well on top of this school getting hit all the time from the bad guys. Like in the old days of he New Mutants and Hellions, we need to form our own secret team, band together and train to be better than the X-Men on our own," Hellion said.

"Exactly, so we need a team that will be the best at protecting and saving all of us," Surge said.

"But, them?" Elixir asked.

"Josh, if this team has a healer," Wind Dancer began.

"Then we need one that does the opposite," Hellion finished.

"Who else do we have joining?" Mercury asked knowing that the only reason she as a part of this was because she was dating Kevin.

"We've been evaluating the students that are left and have come up with some candidates that might round off this team," Surge said as she passed a piece of paper from Wind Dancer to Hellion.

"Yeah, I agree with some but not with all. I also have some suggestions as well," Hellion said.

"Then let's all sit and iron out a final roster and go recruit our team," Surge said as they all sat down and began to pick their roster for their group of Secret Mutants.

**Next: Issue #44 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Two & Secret Mutants: Next Generation – Part Two**


	45. Fall of the New Mutant Generation Part 2

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #44 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Two**

_**Wooded Area Outside Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

"Not getting cold feet on me now are you, Tom?" The woman in the hooded cloak asked as they all came to a stop.

"Of course not, I just wish my brother was in there to join their fate," Black Tom answered as he eyed the mysterious woman that had approached him not long ago with the plan to put an end to the X-Men once and for all.

"Who have you brought?" The woman asked.

"Well, I don't have many friends since they have been lost in space or vanished like the others," Tom said as he remembers talking with Adriane Frost when she had been abducted by the large robot head.

"That's okay, I've got Modifiers' minions and a few others I've collected in position as we speak," the hooded woman said as she turned and looked down at the small cabin in the woods.

"I've been meaning to ask about that. I've heard rumors Modifier was taken like Shadow Nova and the others, how is it he is here?" Black Tom asked as he turned to the mutant once known as Mimic.

"Actually, this isn't Modifier. This was his attempt at cloning. He called it Weapon XX," the hooded woman said as she touched something under her cloak that caused Modifier to start going into spasms.

Black Tom stepped back as Modifier or Weapon XX began to make painful moaning noises and grip his face. Suddenly the figure split in two and began to twist and change. In a matter of moments Weapon XX had shifted into two large black with red stripe looking hounds. Each hound had a metallic like body, sharp teeth, sharp claws and a long tail with a sharp speared point on the end. The creatures also had a diamond shape on their foreheads that glowed as red as their eyes. They each growled with ferocity but seemed to bow and await instructions form the hooded woman.

"What the hell are those things?" Black Tom asked nervously.

"I would like to introduce you to Predator X. They have tuff hides, claws and teeth that can cut through most metal, a regenerative healing factor and just like Modifier, even a small cut from their tail will alter a mutant's genes," the woman said with proud joy.

"What is all the racket?" Beak asked as he stepped out of the cabin and froze when he saw the group assembled up the path from his home.

"Okay, boys, show them what you can do," the hooded woman said as both Predator X lunged with great speed for the cabin.

"What's wrong, honey?" Angel asked as she began to step out the front door after her husband.

"Angel, get the kids and," Beak began to say when a sharp speared tail shot out of chest and silencing him and then lift him up and away from his wife.

"Oh, my!" Angel began to scream when she turned around to see the other Predator X leaping off the roof and right towards her.

_**Inside the Mansion**_

_**Headmistress Office**_

"Security is done. Nothing is getting in this mansion or near it without me knowing it," Bishop said as he walked into the room.

"Bedlam is down there keeping watch on the prisoners and the rest of X-Force is monitoring mansion security," Domino said as she joined the group in Dani's office.

"Lucinda and Amelia are calmed down for now. Luna, God bless her soul, is keeping them under control and helping them focus on the students," Xi'an said.

"That's good to hear. You have a good one, don't let her go," Dani said with a smile that was rare these days.

"I won't, and don't worry, Sam and the others will be back in no time," Rictor said with a wink and then rubbed Skids back in support.

"So, you called us here for a reason?" Sunspot asked impatiently as Callisto called out in agreement.

"Yes, we have things figured out for now. Lucinda, Luna and Amelia will keep watch over the non squad students with help from of Irene," Xi'an said as she nodded at Dani to continue.

"Dryad, Specter and Quill from the Corsairs will be merged with my squad and I will over see them. Armor and Tantra from the Exemplars will join Xi'an's squad. Rictor, you will be taking Match, Trance, Pixie and D.J. from the Paragons. Preview, along with her sister will be removed from their teams and working closely with Bishop with security and his new squad, the Hellions.

"Callisto will now be solely in charge of X-Factor and will be considered staff like the rest of you while Skids will take over the X-Terminators. Domino will be over seeing Generation Next while Blaquesmith will take over Sean's squad, Gen X. X-Factor will still answer to Domino but they are self efficient enough to help run security and protection around the mansion. I want everyone to get with your squads and give the news. Remember, this is temporary and once the others are found and return we will move everyone back to where they were," Dani said as she concluded the meeting.

"Before I go, need anything?" Xi'an asked once everyone was out of the room.

"A vacation?" Dani chuckled.

"You suppose this is what Charles and Scott went through when we were all students?" Xi'an asked.

"I don't recall have this much danger to worry about," Dani said.

"That's because we were too busy looking for it and getting in trouble," Xi'an added.

"Well, trouble did always have a way of finding us," Dani laughed as she walked with her friend to go talk to their squads.

_**Basement Holding Cells**_

"When I get out of here you'll all be toast," Pyra shouted at Bedlam.

"Scream all you want, you aint ever getting out of here," Scalphunter called out from his cell.

"We'll find a way," Crimson Commando said as he searched every inch of his holding cell.

"Good luck with that. The X-Men are good with looking people away down here and forgetting about them," Lady Mastermind said with a big sigh as she wondered why she ever choose to follow her father's footsteps.

"Hey, Mr. Bedlam," a voice said as the door into the room opened.

"Tom, what brings you in here?" Bedlam asked.

"Bishop wanted me to bring you the updates to the security," Tom said as he handed out a flash drive.

"Thanks," Bedlam said as he took it and then headed over to his desk.

"You're welcome," Tom said with a smile.

"Is there something else?" Bedlam asked as he saw the former student who ran off to join Shadow Nova and then return.

"Yes," Tom said as he pulled out a fun and fired it sending Bedlam flying across the room.

"What the?" Prism asked as everyone in their cells sat up in shock.

"What are you up to?" Lady Mastermind asked.

"Well, setting up an entry point," Tom said as he walked over and plugged in the flash drive and then in a few moments herd a satisfying beep.

"What's going on?" Aumente asked nervously as she saw something start to form in the middle of the room.

A small dark spot turned into dozens of black spot until a shadow like portal opened up and several figures stepped out. Tom smiled as he saw Shadowport, Shadowband, Shadowpurge and his brother Tim step out.

"We are in, now we need to open entries for the others," Shadowband said as she and Shadowport left the room.

"Nice to see you, brother," Tim said.

"Yes, it is," Tom said as his eyes changed to a dark color to match his brothers.

"What about us?" Scalphunter asked.

"We let you out," Shadowpurge said as suddenly the cells powered down and the cells opened letting their prisoners out.

"What now?" Aumente asked as she stepped out of the cell.

"We kill everyone in this place," Tim and Tom said in unison as they merged and became a giant dragon made of shadows.

"Right on!" Pyra said as the room exploded in flame as they all ran out leaving Bedlam and the room to go down in flames.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Next Generation – Part Two**

"Are you sure we won't get into trouble?" Wind Dancer asked.

"They are so busy getting things taken care of they'll never notice we're gone," Hellion answered.

"Are we sure about this group? There are some I think we could have used," Surge said.

"Yeah, but we need those not only with good powers but those that can be trusted not to talk or rat us out," Wither said.

"Then this is the group," Hellion said as the group of student mutants gathered in the fields slightly off school property.

To make it fair they agreed on Surge and Hellion to be leaders of their band of Secret Mutants. Joining them were Elixir, Wind Dancer, Wither and Mercury. They had decided on and recruited six other students. They had convinced Penance to join them easily since she wanted a place to belong away form her siblings and her razor sharp body gave them a battle edge they would need. The next was Leech, who had felt he needed a change since his current team seemed so young compared to him and missed the excitement he had known when he had been with Salem-X. Also, Surge wanted him on their team since he had gotten a lot better with the use of his powers.

There were many on the Mutant Force they could have used but they knew that with that squad's complete loyalty to Sunspot that they couldn't trust them to this secret group. They had Pixie who was gamed for adventure. She was annoying but they put her on the team because she had started to show signs of magical abilities they couldn't explain but for now she could manage a form of teleporting and they needed someone like that on the team. They had also asked Dryad whose ability to control plants had not only gotten impressive but had become a great defensive and offensive power for battle.

Originally they were going to keep it to just ten of them but there were two others they had to put on the team. The first was Forearm. With his super strong arms and energy weapons he was like Shatterstar and Strong Guy all rolled into one and they needed that on the team. The last member was a last minute decision. They originally didn't want any of the new Morlocks on the team but this former Morlock was not only around their age but wanted a new way and focus since she lost her boyfriend. It also helped that Medusa had a very dangerous and useful power.

"We eleven will be a secret group here. Our mission is to train to be the best and be prepared to defend this school and our fellow students," Surge said.

"We can't count on this school to make us X-Men so it is up to us to make ourselves out own super mutant team and show we don't need this school or to be X-Men. We can become something on our own, something more," Hellion said as Surge gave him a warning glance.

"We put this group together for a reason. As leaders, I have great tek powers as well as Surge having speed and electricity that will put any villain in their place," Hellion said as Surge rolled her eyes.

"With Elixir we have a healer, and with Wither we have the opposite. Wind Dancer with her strong winds and Mercury with her form of shape shifting. Penance will slice through the enemies while Leech will leave them powerless," Surge said.

"I can do more than that," Leech said as he knew his fighting skills, especially with his tail had been a great asset he had learned form his time with Salem-X as well as a new ability he had discovered with his powers.

"Yes, and now that I can kind of teleport I will come in handy as well," Pixie said as she batted her eyes.

"Yes, and our team is rounded out with Dryad and her deadly plants, Forearm with his strength and swordsmanship and lastly, Medusa and her killer looks," Hellion said with a smirk that made Medusa glare a little.

"I still don't see why we have to keep this secret," Dryad said.

"Because, if the teachers or Dani found out about this they would put an end to it. We need to be able to protect ourselves when they can't," Surge said.

"And, if you want to be a part of this team everyone must swear to secrecy or your out," Hellion said as each one went around the room swearing secrecy and loyalty to their new team.

"Okay, first thing we want to do is practice using our power to their full extent and maybe in new ways," Surge said as they began evaluating each members abilities and began training.

"Not bad, but you all could do better," Hellion said after about an hour of training.

"Everyone did fine," Surge said glaring at Hellion.

"I say bring on the bad guys," Pixie laughed as she was proud at how better she had gotten with her teleporting. She just wished where this ability had come from or if it was a secondary mutation.

"Then we're about to see how good you are, mutie scum," a man in armor said stepping out and pointing a gun at them.

"Who are they?" Medusa asked as suddenly they were surrounded by a dozen men carrying guns pointed at each of them.

"I recognize their attire. They're the Purifiers, a mutant hating group," Hellion said as he began to all on his powers.

"Yes, and these are our new next generation Sentinels," the man said with a smile as suddenly seven very large robots landed all around them.

"Mutants, surrender or die," all the Sentinels said at once as they powered up for attack.

**Next: Issue #45 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Three & Secret Mutants: Next Generation – Part Three**


	46. Fall of the New Mutant Generation Part 3

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #45 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Three**

_**Beak & Angel's Cabin – Grounds outside Xavier's School**_

"I can't believe this," Meltdown said as she found herself throwing up again.

"Who could have done this?" Shola asked as he saw the bodies of Angel and all her children ripped and gutted all around them.

"Whom ever it was, they had sharp claws or weapons of some kind and done with great savagery," Shatterstar said as he inspected the scene.

"No find Beak," Caliban said as he had tried to search all around for the only missing member of the family.

"You don't think he did this?" Meltdown asked finally gaining control of herself.

"He doesn't have this kind of ability, plus they were his life," Shatterstar said.

"I can't seem to get an answer from the mansion," Shola said trying to radio Bishop again.

"What happened here?" Domino asked as she and her new group Generation Next walked up to them.

"No wonder the distress call for us to come here was so urgent," Synch said as Jubilee tried to keep herself form losing her lunch.

"I still don't understand where Hellion got off to," M said not really feeling a loss of her absent teammate.

"Not that we're not happy to see you but we didn't call you," Meltdown said.

"Then who did?" Domino asked suddenly getting a bad feeling.

"Why the same person that did all this and broke all communication between you and the mansion," a voice said as they all turned to see a Goth looking girl.

"The Neo," Synch said as they recognized Elysia and the rest of the Neo as they surrounded the mutants.

_**Danger Room**_

"Okay, I know you guys are bummed but for now, welcome to the New Mutants," Dani said as she looked at Specter and Quill as they stepped next to Prodigy.

"Where's Callie?" Quill whispered over to Specter.

"I don't know," Specter said as he looked at Prodigy.

"Um, David, where's the rest of your squad?" Dani asked growing frustrated at how her squad would not be the example she hoped for them to be.

"I don't know, I sent the word of our training time," David answered.

"Problems, Dani?" Xi'an asked as she and her Squad, including new members Armor and Tantra walked into the Danger Room.

"Well, seems like none of my team had the courtesy to show up for a training session," Dani responded in disappointment.

"Then you need to leave and those of us who want to train have the room," Sunspot said as he and Mutant Force walked in.

"Listen here, Roberto," Xi'an began to say when the light suddenly went off.

"What's going on?" Prodigy asked.

"Don't look at me, I didn't do it," Gloom said.

"Greetings, mutants," a woman's voice blared into the room as a small light came on above them showing the control room.

"Who are you?" Dani asked as she tried to make out a woman wearing a hooded cloak.

"I am the one who will be the one you brought down the mutants," the woman laughed as she pressed a button and the room made a series of strange noises.

"Dani, the Danger Room as gone on lockdown. We are sealed in here and won't respond to emergency overrides," Xi'an said stepping up next to her best friend.

"Yes, you are trapped in there, but don't worry. While me and my minions are killing all your students, I've left you a little surprise in there as well. Best of luck," the woman said as the image of the control room vanished and the lights in the Danger Room came back on.

"Um, guys, what is that?" Wicked asked as they all turned to see a large black hound with red stripes, sharp claws, sharp pointed tail and a red diamond on it's forehead crouched and ready to pounce on them.

_**Security Room**_

"Welcome, Hellions, I'm Bishop and I'll be your Squad Leader," Bishop said as he looked at the group in front of him.

"We're glad to have you," Dust said trying to control her crush on the well built mutant cowboy from the future.

"I believe we are missing two members," Network said as she turned and started to connect with the control systems.

"You're right. Where are Wither and Mercury?" Bishop asked the Hellions.

"I don't know. I guess I haven't' seen them all day," Rockslide answered as Tag shrugged.

"Who knows with them? They've been acting odd lately," Dust said as she wondered if she should blow the secret of the Secret Mutants. She didn't know what hurt more, that they left her out or thought she was dumb enough not to notice.

"Well, I guess," Bishop began to say when Network suddenly interrupted.

"Bishop, we have a situation," Network said with no emotion.

"What is it?" Bishop asked.

"It seems all communication has been cut off and when I tried to find out what was causing it I pulled this up," Network said as the image of the Prison Area came up.

"OMG!" Dust and many of the others cried out in shock and horror.

The entire room was engulfed in flames and not only was all the cells empty, but the only person in the room was a very charred and lifeless form of Bedlam.

"Who did that?" Armor asked as she eyed the computer screen.

"We have bigger problems. I am picking up several intruders inside the mansion as well as the escapees," Network said as Bishop gasped as the screens flashed form area to area showing the intruders attacking the students and staff.

"Where is?" Bishop began to ask when he saw the image of the Danger room with Dani and the others being attacked by a strange creature.

"I," Preview began to say when suddenly a very sharp wooden spear shot past her and stabbed right through Bishop's chest.

"Bishop!" Tanta Screamed as two sharp bones shot out from his neck, silencing him.

"No!" Preview screamed in horror.

"Jessie, what is wrong with you?" Dust asked with concern.

"I," Preview began to say when she saw everyone in the room and all was well.

"Bishop, we have a situation," Network suddenly said.

"What is it?" Bishop asked as Preview stared in confusion when it suddenly hit her.

"Bishop, move!" Preview shouted suddenly as jumped at Bishop and pushed him out of the way just in time to avoid a wooden spear to miss him.

"Well, not my intended target but she'll do," a voice said as Preview got up from Bishop and looked over to see she had saved his life only to allow the spear to strike and pin her own sister against the computer screens.

"Black Tom," Bishop said as he jumped to his feet as Black Tom released Network and reverted his arm back to normal.

"Long time, my friend," Black Tom said with a smile.

"Oh, Sarah," Jessie cried as she ran to her sisters side as he lay there with a huge hole in her chest.

"Oh, you don't mean me," a female voice said as they all looked to see three more figures step in behind Black Tom.

"Marrow," Bishop growled as the former Morlock and X-Man smiled as Bertram and Hump stood next to her.

"Yeah, it seams after our run in with Modifier we went through some upgrades, well except beautiful dreamer who died," Morrow said as sharp bones shot up form all round her body.

"Can we kill them now?" Hump growled as fire crackled within his mouth.

"I think so," Bertram, who no longer was obese but looked human steppe dup and raised a large weapon in each hand.

"Yes, take them all down," Black Tom said as he morphed into a tree like figure and lead his pack into battle as Preview cried holding her sister as she looked down at her and then up at the computer screens seeing intruders attacking the rest of the students and staff all over the mansion.

_**

* * *

**_

The Secret Mutants

**Next Generation – Part Three**

"Get it together people," Hellion said as he could barely keep up with his tek shields to hold back the gun fire form the Perifiers as well as the blasts from the Sentinels.

"I don't know what's worse, seven giant robots or the never ending supply of Purifiers that keep popping up," Surge said as she moved at great speed to avoid being shot and releasing electricity to knock out a few Purifiers to only have five more show up to take their place.

"One down," Forearm said as he leapt up on a Sentinel and with his strength and swords removed its head.

A second one quickly fell after the combined team work of Wither decaying its foot and Penance slicing and ripping the rest of it apart. Leech almost felt useless as the robots or humans didn't have powers for him to dampen. Instead he relied on his fighting skills and his tail to avoid and take down Purifier gunman. Wind Dancer called forth her winds to blow back the Purifiers while Dryad pushed her self to cause plants to grow up and out of the ground and wrap themselves around the Sentential to try and slow them down. She grunted in frustration as it seemed she was more of an annoyance to them than an obstacle to bring them down.

"If we survive this we will really need to reevaluate this team or what each of us can do," Hellion said as he saw Medusa, useless against the robots so had to focus her acid shooting warts at the Purifiers who had to look in her eyes to trigger her powers.

"I just wonder if it was pure dumb luck or how they knew we would be out here practicing," Surge said as ran, leapt and landed in the arm of a Sentinel and let loose her electricity causing the robot to explode and short out after a few minutes.

"We're doing it but not fast enough," Pixie said when she suddenly jerked as a bullet hit her in the side.

"Don't move," Elixir said as he was quickly by her side and called on his powers and began to heal her wound.

"Thanks," Pixie winced as he saw that her side was healed but there was lots of dried blood.

"Too bad your healing touch can't stop a bullet," a Purifier said as he placed his gun to the boy's temple.

"Please," Elixir gulped as he touched the man's hand in fear and panic.

"Sorry," the man began to say and then dropped his fun as he cuffed his throat, coughed and then fell over dead.

"What did you do?" Pixie asked in fear.

"I, don't know," Elixir said as he looked down at his hands.

"Now is not the time to lose it," Mercury said as he twisted her body around a Sentinel's feet causing it to trip and fall.

"Look's like he has more than a healing touch," Forearm commented as he landed on the fallen Sentinel and used his two strong arms to pull as his other two arms cut with swords to remove the head.

"Die, mutant," a Sentinel said as it raised his arm at Pixie and prepared to fire.

"No," Pixie said to herself and she closed her eyes and concentrated and to her surprise had caused all her mutant teammates to vanish and reappear in a strange new place.

"Where are we?" Hellion asked as he looked around and saw they were on a ledge with heat and fire all around them.

"I don't know," Pixie said as she looked all around in panic.

"Well, at least she got us all out of there alive and even a parting gift," Surge said as they all looked to see Penance sitting on and pinning a Purifier on the ground.

"Okay buddy, tell us why you tried to attack us?" Hellion asked as he moved toward the man.

"What did you hope to gain? Those Sentinel weren't even to level with what the X-Men had faced before," Surge said stepping up next to her co-leader.

"We weren't' sent to kill you, that would have been a bonus. We were just there to keep you distracted," the man said with a laugh as Hellion and Surge suddenly looked at each other.

"You don't think?" Wind Dancer began to ask Hellion when the Purifier began to laugh.

"That's right, sweetheart. As we speak all those freaks in the mansion are being slaughtered," Purifier laughed as Hellion, in a fit of rage accidentally pushed the man with his telekinesis and sent him almost over the ledge.

"Hellion," Wind Dancer said as she looked at him with shock and used her powers to keep the man from going over.

"Pixie, you have to get us home and fast," Surge said as she feared for her friends back at the mansion.

"Yeah, I think returning home might be a very good idea, and fast," Dryad whimpered as they all looked to see a swarm of demon like creatures heading right for them.

**Next: Issue #46 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Four & Secret Mutants: Next Generation – Part Four**


	47. Fall of the New Mutant Generation Part 4

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #46 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Four**

_**Danger Room**_

"What is this thing? Just fighting it alone is depleting my reserves," Sunspot said as he glowed black with energy trying to wrestle the metallic hound, afraid to use his blasts since there was no way to recharge in the sealed tight danger room.

"What ever it is it is strong," Onyxx said charging into it and sending it sliding across the room.

"Those teeth and claws are sharp looking," Anole said as he flexed his right arm that was now big and bulky after having grown back.

"That diamond on its forehead looks similar to the mark Mr. Sinister wore," Xi'an said as the hound leapt right back towards them.

"I've picked up something, I know what it knows. It is genetically cloned from the Modifier," Prodigy said suddenly.

"So you mean?" Dani began to ask when the creature's tail stabbed at her and leapt out of the way.

"That like the Modifier, a scratch either removes your abilities, give you a secondary mutation or boosts your powers causing you to go Omega or burn out and die," Prodigy finished as Armor threw up her shield, deflected the claws and punched the creature back away from Dani Moonstar.

"Dani!" Xi'an screamed as they all saw the bleeding scratch along her side that was almost healed before she dropped to the ground in convulsions.

"We have to take this thing down. Not only is that person responsible out there attacking the rest of the school but this is one of two," Prodigy said as Xi'an, who was trying to hold Dani looked at Sunspot in realization of what was happening outside the danger room.

"Kidago, what are you doing?" Rubbermaid asked in horror as her squad mate leaped in front of the creature.

"Don't' worry, first contact heals instantly and it's worth the risk of getting the chance to get a better power than just shrinking," Kidago said as Predator X swiped with its sharp claws.

"Larzaro, no! With this thing only the tail does that, the claws are just that, claws," Prodigy said as they all screamed when the hound ripped open Kidago's upper body and tossed him to the side, the wound and his life bleeding out and not healing.

Predator X turned and charged Rubbermaid but Eosimias flew across the room and grabbed her out of the way just in time as Gloom called on his powers and encased the hound in pure darkness. Unfortunately they learned that the hound relies on more than sight to attack as it leapt out of the darkness seconds after its tail had stabbed through the mutant's chest and out his back and then flung Gloom off and across the room. The wound was healed before Gloom hit the ground and began to twitch.

"Oh, Dani," Xi'an cried as Dani's body went limp and she just laid there.

"I've got its name, it is known as Predator X," Prodigy said as kept trying to use his powers to know what ever the hound knew.

"Thanks for saving me," Rubbermaid said to Eosimias as they both got to their feet.

"No prob," Eosimias said as he glanced down and saw the very small scrape he had gotten from Predator X finally heal and vanish and then began to get light headed.

"Man, this thing is strong," Gentle said as he, Freakshow in his monster form and Onyxx tried to hold the thing down while Armor, Sunspot and Specter in his living shadow form punched away at it.

"What do we do now?" Indra asked looking to Xi'an and Prodigy for guidance.

"I," Xi'an started to say as she held Dani and then watched as Predator X cut loose.

A blast of energy shot from the diamond on it forehead and hit Freakshow sending him across the room. This game it a leverage it needed to move and attack. All in one motion it swung its body as the side of its tail hit Sunspot sending him flying across the room when it passed through Specter but managed to stab Gentle in the leg. It tossed Gentel to the side as it landed on it's feet, opened it's mouth and bit down taking Onyxx's head clean off with its sharp teeth before sending another blast from the diamond on it's forehead that hit Armor and sent her a few feet backwards. It then leapt at Prodigy, Wicked, Quill, Tantra and Indra.

Quill sent of quills at the creature while Wicked summoned as many ghosts as she could to tackle the creature. Predator X shrugged off the quills and caused Wicked to scream in pain as the beam from its forehead disintegrated the apparitions. The hound's tail moved with quick speed as it stabbed and cut Prodigy, Quill and Tantra sending all three into convulsions on the floor. It went to swipe at Wicked but Freakshow slammed into her and moving them both out of the way. The hound was then faced with Indra and struck with its tail.

"Oh no you don't," Anole said leaping in front of his friend and catching the tail with his large right hand and pushed it safely away while using his feet to kick Indra away.

The creature bucked causing the tail and Anole to fly and slam into the ground in front of Predator X. Anole grunted and quickly got to his feet but not before Predator X roared lifting it's front claws high into the air and then bringing them down upon Anole sending pieces of him everywhere as the hound shredded the reptilian mutant. Xi'an screamed out causing Predator X to turn around and then leap right at Xi'an while she held Dani.

_**Security Room**_

"Sarah, how could you?" Bishop asked as he fought the bone powered mutant.

"Because, Modifier was the only one to ever give me acceptance and power," Marrow said as she shot more sharp bones out of her body at Bishop while blade like bones extended from her arm and gripped in each hand.

"It seams Marrow became Omega level while Hump was given a secondary mutation while I lost my powers but am now thin and agile enough to use my weaponry skills," Bertram said as he leapt at Tag.

"Go away," Tag said as he used his power to tap and cause Bertram to go running the opposite direction.

"I will burn you," Hump said as he opened his mouth and fire shot out.

"Whatever," Rockslide said as the fire hit him with no effect and he landed a punch upon the wolf-like creature sending him backwards.

"Sorry about your sister, but you will be joining her," Black Tom said as he moved towards the girl holding her wounded sister.

"Stay back," Preview warned the man as a weird glimmer flashed in her eyes.

"Like you can harm me," Black Tom laughed.

"No, but I can," Network said as she began to rise, the whole in her chest quickly sealing up with circuits and electricity.

"What the?" Black Tom asked as he prepared for what Preview had already seen happen.

Network looked more robotic and like a character from the Tron movies the way she lit up. With great speed and strength she wrapped her hand around the tree man's throat, her fingers piercing into his neck causing him to scream as it looked like grid and circuit patterns were extending from her hand and up the man's face. After a few seconds she had interfaced with his brain and forced the man to power down and return to his human form. She then made her other hand pull apart and reform until it took on a robotic looking blade. Then in what single motion, Network ripped the mans head off while stabbing the body into the ground and pulling the blade back up with the man's heart speared upon it.

"The mutant is permanently off-line," Network said as she tossed the head and heart to the ground while her sister, Preview stared at her in horror at what she had witnessed her do a second time.

_**Headmaster's Quarters**_

"Everything has gone to plan. The Neo are overpowering the group out near the cabin, Predator X 1 is making short work of the mutants in the danger room, Black Tom and his group are taking on Bishop and his group in the security room while the rest of the freed prisoners and your minions are making short work of the rest of the staff and students here in the mansion," a man with a blue and black body said entering the room.

"Yes, thank you, Shatter. If it weren't for you and the other boy agreeing to infiltrate the mansion and get us in we would never have succeeded this easily," the woman in the black hood and cape replied.

"Anything to make them pay for thinking they are better than the Morlocks and then mock us by _allowing _us to stay here out of pity," Shatter spat.

"Well, the job here is almost done. Soon the Xavier Mansion and all its mutants will be no more. I will have single handedly ended the next generation of X-Men," the lady laughed.

"Then the X-Men whenever or if they return," Shatter said with a smile.

"I like the way you think," the hooded woman said and then froze and looked down at a devise on her wrist.

"What is it?" Shatter asked.

"It seems Predator X 2 has detected some new arrivals out on the grounds. Guess I have to send him to finish what the other useless normals couldn't handle," the woman said as she pressed a button sending commands to her other hound and then looked right at Shatter.

"Yes?" Shatter asked with a bow.

"Join the others terrorizing the mansion and gather those left alive in the auditorium and have them wait for me and not kill another soul. It's time I make an introduction," the woman said as she threw back her hood to reveal her white pale skin, long black hair and ruby red lips that matched the red diamond on her forehead.

"Yes, Sinistra, at once," Shatter said as he raced out of the room.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Next Generation – Part Four**

"No, help me!" The Purifier screamed as a bunch of demons dragged him off and out of sight.

"There's nothing we can do for him. He deserves his fate," Hellion said as he pushed with his tek powers to keep the demons off of him and send them flying backwards.

"I don't know where we are, but thank God the have a form of pant life here," Dryad said as strange red monster-like vines with thrones erupted from the ground and did her bidding to attack the demons.

"Me think we are in Limbo," Leech said as he glanced around pushing out with his powers causing the demons to around him to grow thin and weak.

"Limbo? Is this some secondary mutation, teleporting?" Surge asked as she moved with quick speed and then sending bursts of electricity at the attacking demons.

"I don't know. It seems lately I've been feeling weird and sometimes I wake up and I am not in my room," Pixie said as she flew and dodged to avoid the demons.

"Maybe you're related to Dani's old friend, Illyana somehow. Didn't she have the ability to teleport and come to Limbo?" Windancer asked as she really had to push herself to create winds in this place they were at.

"That can't be, her parents are normals and she is an only child, plus isn't Illyana Russian?" Wither asked as he touched two demons, called on his powers and reduced them to ash.

"Um, yes and no," Pixie said as she suddenly began to flutter a little.

"What aren't you telling us? We agreed that they only way we work as a team is if we are all straight and honest with each other. No secrets," Hellion said as threw back a few demons before they had gotten near Elixir.

"Well, you see, my mother is actually my step-mom. I never knew my real mom. My dad said she died after I was born. I never knew he had remarried a few years later, so my step mom is the only mom I've ever known," Pixie said as she called on her powers, sent pixie dust over some demons causing them to hallucinate and go crazy attacking each other.

"So, you could be related to this friend of Dani's?" Medusa asked as she made eye contact with a few demons, ignited her powers and sent acid all over them causing them to howl in pain.

"Well, I am sure we are not related, but I have a feeling we both share a magical connection to this place," Pixie said as she stared around.

"You don't think your mom was a demon?" Mercury asked as she shifted her body to avoid the demons.

"Cessily!" Elixir shouted with a glare as Penance moved past him and continued to shred the demons with ease.

"What? Nightcrawler's father was a demon from another realm. It's could be possible," Mercury said in defense.

"You all talk too much, it's funny," Leech said as he used his agility and fighting skills he learned during his time with Salem-X and Damian Harkness as Dark Drain to fight the demons.

Leech missed his old friends. Thanks to Damian and his magic and between him and Salem he had been taught to fight, but after his best friend Artie and the others had been killed he knew it was time to come back to the mansion. Little did he know that no matter where you went, people you liked were threatened by death. He knew it was time to push with his new powers that he had been secretly practicing.

Leech leapt behind a demon and placed his hand upon the creature. Instead of creating and pushing a field outwards that negated the powers and enhanced abilities of those caught in it, he reversed the affect. He pulled energy inward and jumpstarted himself. Leech quickly let go of the demon as it fell to the ground thin and frail as Leech was now muscular and strong. This was a new ability and he hadn't mastered yet and didn't have full control. So far he had to actually touch the person and had to be careful to let go before he went form leeching off of their powers and draining their life force. One other thing he noticed, he couldn't use both abilities at the same time. So as he leapt into the battle with the demons with his newly gained strength, he couldn't generate a dampening field without reverting back to his weaker form.

"Maybe you're right. We really need to see what each of us can really do," Surge said as she saw Leech in action.

"What we need is to get home. Pixie, anyway you can do what you did before and get us out of here?" Hellion asked as he saw a larger wave of demons coming form off in the distance.

Pixie closed her eyes and concentrated. She thought of her friends here and the ones dieing at the mansion and pushed with all her might to return home to the mansion. As the fear and sadness built up in her soul she felt her body begin to tingle. Just as she was about to lose herself to the feeling she opened her eyes to see a large demon leaping at her. She opened her mouth to scream but instead of sound, a pulse of power came out instead causing her and all her teammate to explode and vanish in a puff of pixie dust leaving only the demons on the battlefield.

"You did it!" Wind Dancer said as the twelve mutants had reappeared on the grounds, not far form the mansion.

"Um, guys," Elixir stuttered as he looked around to see a destroyed cabin and a bunch of dead bodies.

"What happened here?" Mercury asked as she tried to keep from losing it while others like Pixie began to cry.

"They killed them all. My whole family," a voice called out weakly.

"Beak?" Leech asked in shock at the very human looking and badly bleeding mutant as Elixir ran to his side and immediately healed his wounds.

"What happened here?" Hellion asked.

"These creatures came from nowhere and slaughtered my family. All of them dead accept me and my eldest son. For some reason, instead of dying I was cured and turned to normal while my son transformed into a larger, stronger bird-like warrior," the former mutant named Beak said as he got up and whipped his tears as he saw his wife, Angel lying still on the ground.

"Sounds like the work of the Modifier," Surge said.

"No, it wasn't him. These were black metallic looking hounds with sharp teeth, claws and pointed tail. There were others and I heard them call these things Predator X," Barnell said as he walked toward his ruined cabin.

"Where did they go?" Hellion asked as they looked around.

"As I came to, I discovered Domino and her group fighting the Neo. As for the Predator X and the others, they all headed into the mansion to attack everyone there. With my son's new form and abilities and my trusted Bessie, we had no choice but to help X-Force bring down the Neo," Barnell said as he reached down and picked up and patted a large cannon-like gun.

"You killed them all?" Elixir asked as he glanced over to the other side where he saw the bodies of the Neo.

"They left us no choice. This large force declared open season on my family and us mutants living here. It was kill or be killed. We got every single one of them but Jubilee was hurt badly and they killed Caliban. I was near death as well but I told them to take my son and go help the students in the school and bring payback," Barnell explained.

"I can't believe this is happening," Wind Dancer said as she started to shake.

"This is no time to start falling apart," Surge said as Hellion put an arm around the girl.

"Hey, Barnell, was this Predator X creature all black with a red diamond on its forehead?" Dryad asked suddenly.

"Yes, why?" Barnell asked.

"Because it's back," Dryad said as they all turned to see he metallic black hound crouched on the top of the cabin moments before it leapt at them all.

**Next: Issue #47 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Five & Secret Mutants: Next Generation – Part Five**


	48. Fall of the New Mutant Generation Part 5

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #47 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Five**

_**Danger Room**_

Xi'an gasped as she closed her eyes holding Dani tight waiting for Predator X to land on them and tear them both to shreds. She suddenly felt a strange force of energy and a loud blasting sound that caused her to open her eyes to see Predator X flying back across the room. She then looked down and saw Dani sitting up on her own and holding some kind of cannon gun that was glowing with some kind of energy. Dani's eyes were glowing with the same energy and had weird markings glowing above her forehead. Xi'an didn't know what to say but was thankful her friend was alive.

"Dani?" Xi'an began to ask.

"Not now, it seems I've gone Omega and I need to quickly control this and work some of this power off on that creature," Dani said as she stood up, the weapon vanishing.

"I can help," Armor said joining her.

"No, I want you and Xi'an to get the others and tend to the injured. I will finish this," Dani said as she glanced at Freakshow, pulled on her powers and then stared down Predator X.

She heard Freakshow scream as she ripped an image of his most desired fear from his mind and screamed herself form the pain as she gave it life. Predator X leapt with great speed but was suddenly caught in midair. The energy in Dani's eyes and the markings above her forehead glowed bright as a large monster held Predator X in one hand and then used the other to rip it in two. Just as the creature threw the two halves down and turned on Freakshow, Dani let out a scream as she pulled back the energy and cut off her power causing the creature to vanish from sight right before it reached the one who feared it.

"Dani, you okay?" Xi'an asked.

"Yes, but we need to finish off that creature before it can reform and goes active again," Dani said.

"In this state, all we have to do is rip out the diamond and crush it and it will be permanently powerless and dead," Prodigy said walking up to them.

"David, you're okay?" Dani asked with relief.

"It seems I've gained a secondary mutation. Not only can I know what someone else knows, but I can look at something and know how to improve it or deactivate it per say," Prodigy said.

"Then it will be my pleasure," Sunspot said as he used up the rest of his stored power to rip out the diamond on the creatures head and then crush it.

"So, how is everyone else?" Dani asked as she looked at the battlefield of the Danger Room.

"Seems like I got a secondary I think. Seems when I create my quills on my body, before I fire them off I can change their density from gas that knocks out to super strong," Quill said as he created quills on his arm and then shot them off and embedded them into the side of the wall.

"Along with Onyxx and Kidago, seems Gloom and Tantra have died," Armor said with great sadness.

"And me and Gentle have lost our abilities," Eosimias said as they stared at the mutant that once looked like a tiger but was now ordinary.

"It seems with the combination of my powers and the scratch from Predator X I have healed and pulled myself back together but I feel normal even though I have green skin still," Anole said as they all looked at a boy who looked very normal except his skin and hair was green.

"You're still a mutant or you wouldn't be green. We'll have to see how you've changed later. First we have to figure out how to get out of here so we can help the others," Dani said with a sigh as she looked around.

"Let me see what I can do," Prodigy said as he tried to use his secondary gift to see how to dismantle the danger room and get out.

_**Security Room**_

"Sarah?" Preview asked as she stared at her sister.

"Jessie, I am fine. I did what needed to be done," Network said in a monotone voice as she turned back to the computer screen, merged her hands with it and began to regain control of the mansion, including getting the Danger Room doors unlocked.

"She just killed him?" Hump asked in puzzlement.

"Quit whining and let's return the favor," Betrum said as he raised his gun and pointed it at Preview.

"Not on my watch," Dust said as she tuned into a dust storm and engulfed the two, forcing herself into their lungs till they gagged and then fell to the ground.

"Dust?" Tag asked in horror at what he saw his teammate do.

"Don't worry, I didn't kill them. I just did it long enough till they passed out," Dust said as she reformed her body back to normal.

"Sarah, you have been and always will be one of us. You don't have to do this," Bishop said as he sent off a blast that shattered the bone spears being sent at him.

"Right, the only ones that have ever mattered or held high standing here are the mutants that look normal. Even Beast, is not always treated with the respect he deserves just because he grew fur," Marrow said she leapt at the man with two large sharp bone blades in her hands.

"Marrow, stop this!" Bishop screamed as he sidestepped, grabbed he girl and slammed her into the floor pinning her.

"Never!" Marrow screamed.

"Then it pains me to do this," Bishop said as he hit her in the face with a blast followed immediately with his fist sending her into dreamland.

"I almost have the mansion back and I will take care of these three. Go help the others," Network said as she did something with her eyes and bars came up from the floor caging and restraining Betram, Hump and Marrow.

"Preview, you stay here and help your sister. You three, with me," Bishop said running out of the room with Rockslide, Tag and Dust right behind him.

_**Auditorium**_

"I don't know if I'm happy or upset to see so many of you gathered here alive," Sinistra said as she stood on the stage looking out at all the students and staff gathered before her, some crying, others scared and others angry and ready for the attack.

"You will pay," D.J. said with anger and fear.

"Oh, you're all in no place to threaten me. I have control of the mansion. You so much as move I will command the mansion security to open fire on all of you and those that survive will be finished off by my minions," Sinistra said with a smile pointing at all the weaponry hanging down from the ceiling and pointed at all of them.

"Yes and I have the power to bake you all in an instant," Pyra said with a laugh as he, Scalphunter, Crimson Commando, Lady Mastermind, Prism, Aumente, Shadowport, Shadowband, Shadowpurge, Shadowdragon, Blockbuster and Shatter stood positioned around the stage watching the group assembled.

Luna and Lucinda tried to keep it together for the students. A lot of the younger students and those just learning their powers had been massacred in the crossfire. There was just a few dozen of them left and they were all sticking near the two woman scared for their lives. Lucinda had done a quick roll call of the upper classmen, squad members and such to see who was still with them. She knew there were some not here but they were on the grounds or elsewhere fighting and didn't know their fates. Just what happened here was all she knew.

Besides her and Luna being here, Callisto, Sally, Rictor and Amelia Voght here the only adult and staff members left. As for the students and the recently joined Morlocks there was Match, Trance, D.J., Hub, Erg, Slingsnot, Boost, Grid, Angel Dust, Electric Eve, Burning Puddle, Squirt, Wiz Kid and Xi'an's sister Psiblock. Unfortunately they had lost a few in the final battle before being herded here. Pester, Tether, Litterbug, the St. Croix twins and Xi'an's other sibling, Nga had all been killed. Luna was still heartbroken and didn't know how she was going to tell her girlfriend that she failed to protect her brother. Lucinda couldn't believe everything that has happened to her, her family and what was happening now. If she survived this she would find and take all of her children out of this place and never look back, but not after she killed the man responsible for all this, Charles Xavier.

"You see, Modifier may have killed Mr. Sinister and took over all he possessed but he failed to uncover one thing. Me, Sinistra. Essex cloned and created me to be the fail safe body incase he was ever killed. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for me, when he died, Modifier had destroyed his system. His mind never got transferred. Instead, a genetic fluke or mutation occurred and not only did my body complete and form into a woman's body but developed my own mind and personality. But be assured, the desire to see all Xavier created and those connected to him destroyed remains embedded into my genetic core," Sinistra said with an evil grin.

"What do you prove killing all of us?" Rictor shouted trying to control his urge to unleash his powers.

"You all don't get it. Xavier has been duping you all and keeping secrets for centuries. His evil legacy must be brought to an end," Sinistra shouted shaking her fist.

"No, your evil ends now," a voice declared as a large arrow made of energy flew across the room and hit Pyra causing him to jerk and fall backwards.

"You will pay for this," Sinistra said as they all turned to see Dani standing in an entrance way while her group came running into the room.

"Not today, we've taken back control of the mansion and its security. It ends here," Bishop said as he and his three team members entered the room.

"Curses!" Sinistra screamed as she kept pressing the button and nothing happened with the weapons pointed at those assembled in the middle of the auditorium.

"Kill them!" Sinistra then shouted as her assembled team leapt off the stage while Dani shouted at those to get the younger kids and students to safety while the other took to battle.

"Yeah, bring it on," Domino shouted as she and her assembled team stormed into the auditorium for the final showdown with Sinistra.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Next Generation – Part Five**

"Watch its tail. That is what effects your abilities," Beak said as he fired off his gun that sent a powerful blast at Predator X and sent it backwards in mid leap.

"Where did you get that?" Hellion asked with awe.

"A souvenir from my time hopping realities with the Exiles," Beak said wondering if leaving that group and coming here was a good choice.

"We need to take that down and fast," Hellion said as he pushed out with his powers and pinned the creature to the ground.

"Allow me. Everyone get behind me," Leech said as he raised his hand and concentrated.

He pushed out with his powers creating a dampening field around the creature. Predator X immediately got to its feet as Hellion's powers holding it vanished. Before anyone could move, the creature's tail shot out and stabbed Leech in the leg. Because of the dampening field all the tail did was cause a non healing wound on the mutants leg, but it was a painful enough wound that Leech screamed, grabbed his leg and accidentally shutting off his powers. The diamond on Predator X's head glowed as its powers returned and he leapt at Leech. Without hesitation Penance leapt at the creature and began to wrestle with it.

"Penance!" Pixie shouted as the creatures tail slashed Penance and caused her to fall back and go into convulsions as her body seemed to try and change.

"I'll finish the creature off," Wither said as leapt behind the creature, called on his powers and went to touch Predator X.

Unfortunately Predator X was faster than the mutant. Before Wither could touch it, Predator X's tail speared him, lifted him up and threw him back. Wither got to his feet as the wound was almost healed. He looked at the vanished wound and smiled at his teammates when a searing pain erupted in him and he began to scream in utter agony as his body went into convulsions.

"Kevin!" Mercury screamed as she watched the man she loved turned ashen and then exploded in a puff of ashes.

The creature turned to face Mercury when suddenly the creature screamed out in pain and began to twitch. The group of Secret Mutants watched in the ready while Elixir healed Leech as the creature suddenly changed shape and took on a form that looked identical to the Modifier. The man stood up and faced the group of mutants.

"It seems my other half has been killed and I have been forced back to my original form," the Modifier Clone said.

"So, Predator X is Modifier? I thought Modifier went missing," Surge said looking at Hellion.

"I am not the Modifier. Just a cloned replica of him that Sinistra managed to save and alter the best she could. Don't worry, I may not be as powerful in this form but I just need to give my body enough time to regenerate and allow me to split into two again," Modifier Clone said.

"Then we need to take him down," Beak said as he, Hellion and Mercury charged the clone.

"Oh, I may not be as powerful but I am not defenseless," Modifier Clone said as a small beam shot form his forehead sending Hellion backwards while leaping up and swiping Mercury and Beak with his sharp nails and landing behind them.

"Mercury," Wind Dancer said running to her side as her wound healed and she began to go into convulsions.

"Beak, your wound isn't healing," Elixir said as he saw the man with a gun laying on the ground and still bleeding from his chest wound.

"That's because I got him once already. Once I've used my powers on you it only works once. After that, all it is is a wound," Modifier Clone said as he turned to face Surge, Hellion Leech, Pixie, Dryad and Forearm while Wind Dancer and Elixir were busy tending to Beak, Penance and Mercury.

"Well, let's finish this," Hellion said as he nodded at Leech who prepared to use his powers again.

"Yes, lets," Modifier said as his diamond on his forehead flashed with power and he suddenly began to split.

"Oh no, he's splitting back into two Predator X's again," Forearm said as Hellion shouted at Leech to use his powers.

"Two late," Dryad whispered in fear as she saw Modifier Clone suddenly split into four Predator X creatures and leap out of the way before Leech called on his powers.

"Oh crap!" Hellion swore as the four beasts moved with great speed and surrounded the Secret Mutants.

**Next: Issue #48 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Six & Secret Mutants: Next Generation – Part Six**


	49. Fall of the New Mutant Generation Part 6

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #48 – The Fall of the New Mutant Generation – Part Six**

_**Auditorium**_

Full out war had broken out in the Auditorium and it was all Dani could do to stay focused. Luna and Lucinda had gotten all the students out. She needed this to end here but didn't want to endanger any more of the students. The only ones that remained in battle were Domino and her team, Bishop, Callisto, Sally, Rictor, Amelia Voght and Sunspot. Even though many of the upper squad students wanted to remain in battle, Dani needed them to go and help protect the others in case they failed here. She had also sent Xi'an with them under Luna's care. Unlike M, Xi'an had a complete breakdown when she learned of her sibling's death. She needed the experience and focused here in this battle right now and even though she forgot to remind everyone, she hopped not killing was a give in, or was it?

"You think you stand a chance? Once we done with you we will finish off the rest of the students. I just wish Charles had been here to whiteness the fall of his precious school," Sinistra said as she watched the battle form atop the stage.

"I'll make you pay for keeping me prisoner here," Scalphunter said two very large weapons formed into his hands and he let loose rapid firing.

"Watch out, those are real bullets," Shola said as he tried to stop as many as he could with his telekinesis.

"Here's to the advantage to me being made of stone," Synch said as bullets bounced off of him.

"It's payback time," Callisto said as she got behind Scalphunter and sliced open his throat causing him to drop his guns and fall to the ground grabbing his neck. "Who needs powers," Callisto said as she spat on the fallen man.

"He won't be down for long once his healing factor kicks in," Domino said as she dodged a blast form Crimson Commando.

"Then we make it harder for him then," Synch said as he reached out, touched Meltdown and then sent three large energy balls at Scalphunter causing them to explode sending him several different directions.

"Everett," Dani said in shock.

"It's us or them and you know it, Dani," Domino said as she continued to trade fire with Crimson Commando.

"Who's the bird?" Sunspot asked as he saw a large humanoid bird flying trough the air with wings, head and claws of a bird upon the body of a human.

"That's Beak's oldest son, Tito. He got scratched by Predator X and went Omega level," Jubilee answered bringing Sunspot and the others quickly and briefly up to speed on the events of what happened at Beak & Angel's home.

"Angel and all of them, dead?" Sally asked aloud overwhelmed with tears as she put a shield around herself and Jubilee to protect them from a blast of shadow fire from Shadowdragon.

"Blast at me all you want, but my body seems to be resilient to energy blasts," Sinistra laughed as Bishop pounded her with energy blasts.

"I will find a way to take you down," Bishop said as he charged the evil woman.

"Not on my watch," Pyra said as a powerful fire explosion sent Bishop flying off the stage, "now to roast the others."

"You wish," Rictor said as he lashed out with his powers and caused the stage to split in two while bringing the ceiling down on top of Pyra and Sinistra.

"Die!" Shatterstar shouted as he landed behind Crimson Commando and lashed out with his blades.

"Fool, I am not only the master of weapons, but I also inherited my father's resistance to injury and strength," Crimson Commando said as the blade left but a small cut on his back and he whipped around and landed a punch that sent Shatterstar flying across the auditorium.

"You killed my sisters!" M's voiced boomed causing everyone to look up as something mentally passed between her and Shadowband causing her to drop to the ground drooling at the same time Monet shrugged off a punch from Blockbuster, lifted him into the air and with super strength, snapped his neck and dropping him to the ground.

"I don't have much with telepathy but what little I have, she's brain dead. She turned her into a vegetable," Shola commented as Monet just hovered in the air staring down at the two she had just attacked, showing no further emotion.

"Oh no, with Shadowband gone, the only connection to our missing master has faded," Shadowpurge said turning back to normal as did Shadowdragon and Shadowport.

"Too bad," Amelia said as she made eye contact with Purge, pushed out with her powers and looked straight up as Purge suddenly turned into a vapor like mist and then was gone.

"What happened to Purge?" Tim and Tom asked as they were now split and in human form.

"I sent him into Earths orbit and if the lack of oxygen doesn't kill him I am sure the burning up from reentry will," Amelia said as she now fueled her anger and walked towards the two twins.

"Mommy, no," a voice cried as Amelia froze in place.

"Jerrod?" Amelia asked as she stared at her son as she found them both standing in the middle of a large forest.

"You weren't there for me. I grew up a lone and now I'm dead," Jerrod said as his face began to peal away as blood flowed down and onto the floor.

"Jerrod, I'm so sorry," Amelia dropped to her knees and began to cry as she reached out for her son.

"Now you can join me," Jerrod said as he raised a gun and fired hitting his mom in the shoulders causing her to scream as blood leaked out of the wound.

"Oh baby," Amelia whispered as she watched her son raise the gun to head level and prepared to fire a final shot.

"Enough!" A voice shouted as an arrow made of psionic energy flew threw the air and hit something invisible behind Jerrod causing another scream to fill the air.

"What?" Amelia asked as she saw Jerrod flicker a bit and the bullet he had fired passed right through her and vanished without causing any harm to her.

"Without Aumente to boost your powers you can't cause actual real harm can you, Lady Master Mind?" Dani Moonstar said as the illusion of the forest seemed to part around her as she walked past Amelia and towards a woman standing next to the twitching body of Aumente as her eyes glowed matching her psionic markings on her forehead.

"Your puny powers are no match for mine," Lady Mastermind said as hundreds of demons swarmed at Dani.

"I've been upgraded, now let's see how you like it," Dani said as the demons flickered and vanished as soon as they got close enough to her.

Lady Mastermind screamed as the psionic energy flared from Dani's eyes and markings as an image was being ripped from Lady Mastermind's head. Dani stopped a few feet from Lady Mastermind as she focused her powers as she gave shape and visual imagery to the image and then feed it with pure sonic energy giving the image substance and making it very solid and very real. With a final push, Dani created a knife out of pure psionic energy and threw it into the woman's shoulder causing her psychic defenses to dwindle allowing her to get full effect as Dani unleashed Lady Mastermind's worst fear upon her.

"You are a disappointment and a failure," Mastermind said as he walked towards his daughter.

"Father?" Lady Mastermind asked as she touched the glowing knife in her shoulder and stared at the man she thought was long dead.

"You are a disgrace to my name and my powers," Mastermind said as he backhanded his daughter and sent her flying across the room.

"I tried," Lady Mastermind began to say but was cut off when her father grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up into the air.

"You should have died, not your sister," Mastermind said as he began to squeeze.

"You are not real," Lady Mastermind chocked out as she pulled the knife form her shoulder and plunged it into her father causing the knife and her father to disappear.

"Yeah, but I am," Dani said as she created a giant spear and sent it flying into Lady Mastermind's chest.

The spear and the forest around Dani and Amelia vanished the minute Lady Mastermind hit the floor, twitched and went unconscious from the strong impact of the psionic attack into her body and mind. Dani turned and held a hand out to Amelia and did something she never thought she would do, she brought the woman into her arms and let her cry into her comforting embrace.

"We're losing," Shatter said as Meltdown caused Prism to deflect her energy while Sunspot came up behind him and hit him in the back with a mix of strength and energy blast causing the Marauder to shatter into pieces.

"I'll fry them," Pyra said as he climbed out of the ruble, staggering and bleeding.

"No, we must depart and find Magnetrix. When our true master returns then we can get our revenge," Crimson Commando said as he glared over at Sinistra who was also climbing out of the wreckage.

"No, stand and fight," Sinistra demanded.

"If you will have me, I will join your Brotherhood," Port said stepping up to Crimson Commando.

"Wait, what about the rest of us?" Tim and Tom asked together.

"What about you?" Crimson Commando asked with a laugh as he gave instructions to Port.

"Cowards! You will face the same fate as the X-Men, I so swear it!" Sinistra Screamed as Port called on her powers causing her, Crimson Commando, Lady Mastermind, Pyra and Aumente to vanish from sight.

"Looks like the games over, Sinistra," Dani said as she and the rest of her comrades in arms gathered to face the woman standing on the devastated stage.

"This isn't over. Sinister may have been about the genetic research, watching and testing you all but not me. I just want you all dead and I won't rest to every last part of Xavier's dream is wipe doff this planet," Sinistra declared as she pressed a button in her belt causing her red diamond to flare and in a blinding light teleported herself, Tim, Tom and Shatter out of the Auditorium.

"It's over, let's tend to the wounded and dead and get the prisoners taken care of," Bishop said as he began to bark orders.

"No, this is far form being over," Dani sighed as she looked at the battlefield that had once been her and Sam's school.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Next Generation – Part Six**

"I thought he could only split into two?" Elixir said as he healed Beak and got him to his feet.

"I guess I was wrong," Beak answered as he saw the four creatures circling them.

"Well, on the plus, notice that they are a little smaller this time. Maybe the more he divides the smaller and weaker the beasts are," Hellion observed as he called on his powers.

"Looks like Penance lost her powers," Wind Dancer said as they saw that Penance looked exactly the same except she was now made of flesh and had fingers and long dark hair instead of being red and all razor sharp.

"How is that when she was technically a shell crated from the St. Croix sisters?" Surge asked quietly to Hellion.

"Hard to say what effect Modifier's abilities have on a mutant or a form given life form a mutant," Hellion shrugged.

"Watch out," Forearm called out as one of the hounds attacked.

Forearm created an energy weapon in one arm and hit the creature and then used his strong arm to punch it back but was not fast enough to prevent the tail from scratching Medusa. Forearm knelt down next to his teammate as she went into convulsions and then lay still. He checked her pulse and found she was still alive but what effect it would have on her would yet to be determined. Until then his attention was drawn back up as the other three Predator X beasts attacked.

"They are weaker," Surge said as she sent a burst of electricity into one hound causing it to flip back and go still, smoking.

"Thank goodness," Dryad said as she struggled to hold one hound down with a bunch of plans she caused to grow up form the ground.

"Watch your back," Pixie said as another one leapt at Dryad from behind.

Hellion grabbed it and threw it backwards but the fourth one then pounced, bounced off his shield and landed next to Dryad and Pixie. The fourth Predator X whirled and sent his tail lashing out making contact and sending Dryad and Pixie to the ground in convulsions. This allowed the Predator X that was trapped in plants to get free and leap at the still Dryad. Forearm jumped on its back and wrestled the creature away. Wind Dancer sent a blast of wind to send the third Predator X away form her teammates but they all watched in horror as the fourth Predator X flipped Forearm over and sliced open his chest while chomping down on his neck.

"Blasted creature," Hellion swore as he used his powers to grab and throw the beast away from Forearm who was bleeding out fast.

"I'll heal him," Elixir began to say when he was lifted into the air by a tail that was plunging out of his chest.

"No!" Beak screamed as he aimed his gun and blasted the hound in the head causing it to explode and release Elixir who fell to the ground in convulsions as Firearm died from his excessive wounds.

"We're dropping like flies," Surge said as she, Hellion, Wind Dancer, Beak and Leech turn to face the last two remaining Predator X hounds.

"Then we need to drop them," Medusa said as she was now sitting up, made eye contact with one of the hounds as her warts on her face flared and then shot out a liquid substance, but instead of being acid, the liquid hit the hound and quickly covered it and encased it as if it had been turned to stone.

"Looks like you got a secondary mutation while I went normal," Pixie said as they all turned to see their teammate looked like a normal girl and her wings were gone.

"Even though, we didn't pull the death card," Elixir said as everyone turned to see him, Mercury, Penance and Dryad all standing and alive as well.

"Well, none of them died or lost their powers so what happened to them I wonder," Wind Dancer pondered.

"We'll after figure that our later we still have one more to deal with," Hellion said as they all faced the last Predator X.

"Not today," Predator X said after it drew the other three back into itself and took on the cloned form of the Modifier.

"We're not done with you. It's time for some payback," Surge said as she looked at where Forearm lay and the pile of ash that had once been Wither.

"It seems the battle is over for now and I must go, but don't worry, I will be back to finish this," the Modifier clone said as the diamond on his forehead flashed and he vanished form site.

"Where did he go?" Hellion demanded.

"Seems I am picking up some energy readings indicating that something teleported and snatched our friend on the way," Beak said looking at a devise in his hand.

"Guys, I am hearing all kinds of stuff coming from the mansion. Seems the battle is over and not all fared well," Wind Dancer said as she listened to the wind and looked over in the direction of the mansion.

**Next: Issue #49 – Aftermath & Secret Mutants: Next Generation – Part Seven**


	50. Aftermath

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #49 – Aftermath**

_**Xavier's School – Outside Gardens, Memorial and Resting Place of Fallen X-Men**_

"I don't see why we buried the bodies of our foes out here with our friends and family," Nga whispered to her sister while Dani gave the eulogy for the mass funeral for the fallen.

"Trust me, losing our brother makes me see it as you do, but Dani, a former Valkyrie, says all deserve the rite of passage to Great Beyond, or something like that. They may be buried but they will not have statues like the others, they will just be buried," Xi'an said with anger and tears over the loss of her brother while she held her sister tight, also thinking of one other great loss, the love of her life.

After the battle had ended a large hunt and roll call was done for all bodies, living and dead. It seemed that Luna and Lucinda, leading all the students and other mutants outside the auditorium battle and been engaged by Betram and Hump. It was a devastating battle and more had fallen, including Luna who had sacrificed herself to save her sister Nga. More would have been lost if Marrow hadn't arrived with a change of heart and to make amends, killed Betram and Hump. It was hard on Xi'an to loose the one she loved but she pushed on for her sister's sake and the other students and soon everyone was accounted for. Dani had been relieved to find Surge and her group that turned up but was also saddened at the report of the loss of a few more of their own.

As Xi'an thought about those that had died their faces appeared in her mind as she heard Dani read them off aloud to all in her speech. First were their opponents, Black Tom Cassidy, all The Neo, Scalphunter, Blockbuster, Purge, Broadband, Betram and Hump. Then came the name of their students, friends and family: Kidago – Larzaro Kotikash, Tag – Brian Cruz, Wither – Kevin Ford, Onyxx – Sidney Green, Gloom, Tantra – Reuben, D.J. – Mark Sheppard, Forearm – Jorge Lucas, Pester, Tether, Litterbug, Angel Dust – Christine, Claudette and Nicole St. Croix, Leong Manh, Luna, Caliban, Omega Sentinel – Karima, Angel Bohusk and kids. Xi'an didn't know what was harder, saying good bye or the fact that most of them didn't have any family to notify or didn't care to be notified. It was a sad day all around and she bowed her head for the final prayers and good-byes.

_**A few hours later – Dani's Office**_

"All the young students have been sent back home to their families. As requested, their memories of being here have been erased as of their families so they will be accepted again thanks to Blaquesmith and M and with the help of Leech and Network those that had started to develop powers have been placed into remission till they actually reach puberty," Xi'an said as she sat across from her friend.

"That just leaves only the students that were in squads still here for now," Rictor added.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to close the school?" Sunspot asked as he, Skids, Callisto, Domino and Bishop were the last to join the meeting.

"Yes, if other events weren't enough then this last one proved that the time for babysitting children is over. This may change once Sam and the others return but for now, this is a place to train and prepare those that are ready for this life," Dani said.

"What about those that develops their powers or need to be guided and trained?" Skids asked.

"I have worked with Network and she and Blaquesmith have incorporated a system with Cerebra to keep constant watch on all mutants, even the ones we sent home. If a time comes where we need to go and evaluate the situation and make a decision to bring them here or make other arrangements," Bishop answered.

"So does that mean the squads are gone too?" Rictor asked.

"With those that vanished and the ones we lost today there really isn't much of a roster for a bunch of squads, but hat time has passed. It's time we started learning to work together as one unit. A mutant force ready to take on the mantle of X-Men. Our foes are getting more stronger and violent while we are not," Dani said as she looked at everyone.

"Are you sure that is wise?" Skids asked.

"I agree with Dani. Until we all are a strong enough force to defend off anything how can we hope to guide and protect the younger generation?" Xi'an asked as she still hurt from the loss of her sister and lover.

"We have kept all the main students that were in the various established squads here. Even those that need to leave or want to leave we have held here for now at your request," Sunspot said.

"So are we all prisoners here?" Callisto finally blurted out.

"No, I may have sent the young and inexperienced home but I still think there is a need for us and this place to continue on as the next generation," Dani said.

"Good, because I am out of here. It was a mistake for me to bring the Morlocks here. Seems we are safer being out there on our own then here with you," Callisto said getting up.

"Callisto, where will you go, it's not safe out there," Skids said looking at her former Morlock leader.

"We will do as we always have, survive. Modifier is gone so we don't have to worry about him coming after us. I'm taking the Morlocks and we are leaving and you can't stop us," Callisto declared as she made for the door.

"Callisto, but I want to make it clear that any Morlock that does not want to go can and will be allowed to stay here," Dani said with a glare as the two women met eyes.

"Whatever," Callisto said as she stormed out.

"Bishop," Dani began to say as the man cut her off.

"Already done. Network is making sure all Morlocks are given the option to stay and she has sent me the results of the tests done on the students attacked by Predator X," Bishop said.

"Great, as we know I went Omega level, will be interesting to see what happened to the others," Dani said as she looked at the list while Bishop reported.

"Quill received a secondary mutation. Instead of shooting off his quills he can instead make them burst into a dense smoke. Prodigy also received a secondary mutation with the ability to know how to improve or destroy something. Anole's tests are giving off Omega level readings but we have yet to determine what more he can do," Bishop said.

"I see both Gentle and Eosimias have been reverted back to normal, totally void of the x-gene," Dani read from the list.

"Eosimias and Gentle have already departed for their homes like the others," Xi'an added.

Elixir has developed a secondary mutation but if guided could easily lead to Omega level. He can not only cure but he can also give sickness and harm with a touch as well. Mercury and Dryad have also tested Omega. As for Penance, she is unique and hard to get a reading but it seems that she was made flesh as well as Pixie being turned back to normal as well. M wants nothing to do with Penance since she is but a shell per say so she has taken off over the grief of her younger siblings while Pixie has already departed for home," Bishop finished.

"And here is the run down of those squad students that want to remain here and those wanting to return home to leave here," Sunspot said giving Dani another list.

"Interesting," Dani said as she showed the list to Xi'an.

"X-Force will be leaving as well. It seems we will be less a target if we aren't all gathered under one roof. Plus, we are going to go on an active mission trying to find Cable and hunt down those that got away," Domino said.

"Well, you all will be missed," Dani said not sure if she was truly sad to see Cable's band of mutants go.

"One more thing, Monet has requested to join our team since Generation Next is no more and with the death of her sisters she no longer wants to be here," Domino said as she left the room, not asking permission but informing them.

"What about the prisoners?" Dani asked trying to move on.

"Prism is locked up, all the others either escaped or died. As for Morrow, she is in a holding cell as well waiting for what we want to do with her," Bishop answered.

"Not sure what I want to do about her yet. She did lead the initial attack on us," Dani said.

"But in the end she did help us end it," Xi'an added.

"Okay, for those of us that are left, it's time to start getting things back in order for tomorrow is a new day," Dani said as everyone left the room.

"I'm surprised your letting Amelia stay here," Xi'an said as she held behind.

"She has nowhere to go and doesn't want to leave till her son comes back. I can't turn her down as she proved herself today when we were attacked," Dani said.

"What about Surge and the others that claim they are leaving to go home?" Xi'an asked.

"You and I both know they aren't going home. I know what your thinking and I am torn how I feel about them going off on a mission of vengeance and revenge but I have to stay focused about what is going on here at this school," Dani said not sure how she felt about what these students were planning.

"So you're just going to let them leave?" Xi'an asked.

"I, your right, I can't let them go off alone like that. Hurry, you can catch them before they try and leave," Dani said quickly as Xi'an nodded and headed for the door.

"Oh, Dani," Xi'an paused for a second.

"I will give my life before anything happens to her," Dani said as her friend nodded and headed out the door.

"Okay, time to get this place back in order," Dani sighed as she headed out to gather with her fellow friends, staff and remaining mutants.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Next Generation – Part Seven**

Julian, the mutant known as Hellion sat in the park waiting impatiently. He and Noriko had formed a secret group of mutants that would train to become more than just X-Men but to be able to protect themselves and their fellow mutants. Just as they had formed their secret group, the attack came from Predator X, Sinistra and their huge group that had decimated the school and killing a large group of their friends, family and teammates. Some had even been altered by Predator X, good and bad. It was quite the battle but it was over and after the funeral Dani had made some drastic changes, starting with sending all normals and younger non-squad students home. Only mutants left were the few staff members and the Squad Students that Dani had requested to stay. X-Force and Callisto and the Morlocks had even headed out and left the school.

It had appeared that Dani had no intention of seeking out their attackers and gaining revenge and that didn't sit well with Julian. He couldn't stay at a school and just wait to be attacked again. Those that did this needed to pay so he had sent word to the remaining mutants of his Secret Mutants that he wanted to take the group and change it up a bit. He wanted to go out on his own and hunt down those that had attacked them and be more proactive in taking out the bad guys, like X-Force. He told them that if they agreed with him to lie and put in a request to leave the school and go back home and then meet him at the park. He gave them a time deadline and those that showed would be the new Secret Mutants and those that didn't show or were late were out. Now he waited to see how alone he would be in his team's new mission.

"Julian, I see you're the only one so far," Noriko Ashida, the mutant known as Surge said as she came walking up to him.

"Hey, where's Sophia?" Julian quickly asked as he saw Wind Dancer was nowhere in sight.

"I'm sorry, Jillian, she's not coming. She was all for the Secret Mutants, just to be with you, but she said she can't be a part of a revenge squad. No matter how angry and sad these events make her, she can't become that kind of person," Surge explained to the heart broken man.

"I see," Julian sighed as his heart broke knowing that is was now over between him and the girl he had fallen for, "what about your man?"

"I just broke things off with him. I know he would never be a part of this and if I told him he would tell Dani in a heartbeat," Surge said finding it odd she wasn't the least bit sad about her breakup.

"What about the others? Are they coming?" Julian asked as he hadn't gotten definite answers from anyone except Mercury who said she was still in.

"They only other person I know that isn't coming for sure is Leech. Like Sofia, he doesn't want to be a part of what we plan to do. Since he's lost so much he wants to stay close to the school and his re-found best friend Wiz Kid," Surge said.

"Wow, looks like between those that died and those quitting the group are number in the group could be small, especially if none of the others come," Hellion said.

"Then I hope you don't mind that I brought a new recruit," Cessily Kincaid the mutant known as Mercury said as she came walking up with another larger figure.

"Hey, Santo," Hellion said as he greeting his former Hellions squad member known as Rockslide.

"I want payback and I don't want to be left out of this group this time," Rockslide said as he slammed his fist in to his rocky hand.

"We're in too, sorry we're late but we had to make a pit stop at the graves," Josh Foley the mutant known as Elixir said as he and Penance walked up.

"As glad as we are to see you two, but we can't have someone without powers," Surge said looking at the dark skinned girl with long braided black hair.

"Actually, Predator X may have made me flesh but it didn't make me normal," Penance said with a smile.

"Penance, you can talk?" Mercury asked in astonishment.

"I can now thanks to my siblings and you can call me Yvette, I am dropping the Penance nickname," Yvette St, Croix said.

"What are you talking about?" Hellion asked looking at the girl.

"We St. Croix can absorb into each other and that's kind of how I, a shell was created by the two twins. Because of something Predator X did to me and Elixir using his gifts on my twin sister's dead bodies, I was able to absorb them into me. One twin giving me humanity and my speaking ability and the other to allow me to switch forms," Yvette said as she suddenly turned red and became the razor sharp form of Penance.

"Wicked," Rockslide gasped in awe.

"What about the graves?" Surge asked Yvette.

"She can't talk in this form but we made sure no one will know the bodies were disturbed or gone," Elixir said.

"And I think my new code name will be Razora," Yvette said after she shifted back to flesh form.

"Well, looks like we have almost the whole original crew plus a new member," Hellion said as he was glad to see people show.

After a few minutes Medusa had showed up. When Callisto and the Morlocks left the school Medusa had almost gone with them but then at the last minute she ditched them and decided she felt the place she belonged the most was with them. She didn't want to be a Morlock or an X-Man and the Secret Mutant was the just right fit for her. Now that she had been given a secondary mutation she was ready to become fierce and get some revenge on those that killed her friends and family. For the first time, with this group she felt normal and accepted.

"Hey guys, hope you don't mind that I'm coming. I may not have powers but I've got weapons and I want the chance to payback what they did to my family," Beak said as he walked out of the shadows and towards them.

"Barnell, I was strict about normals not being allowed, but you, out of anyone here has the right to be here. It also helps you got some cool weapons so you're not fully defenseless," Hellion said.

"I agree, you have every right to be a part of this team, I was just expecting Tito more than you," Surge said.

"He wanted to, but he is all I have left and I won't lose him to those creatures. I want him there with Dani and learning to become a warrior and harness his abilities, so I am going instead," Beak said as he raised his strange gun and smiled.

"Well, that's all of us then," Hellion said looking at his watch.

"Nope, not all of us," Dryad said as she, Pixie and Match walked up.

"I invited Match since I knew we were down members," Dryad said as Match stepped forward with a smile.

"D.J. was my best friend and I want to make them pay," Ben Hammil said as the flame on his head got brighter.

"Welcome to the team," Surge said as the others chimed in.

"Sorry, Megan, without any powers you can come with us," Hellion said to the mutant known as Pixie.

"Actually, I still have powers," Pixie said as she something seemed to flash in her eyes as wings magically appeared behind her and he flew into the air.

"Megan, how? The test came back that you are void of the mutant gene," Elixir said.

"Well, last night I had the strangest dream. A woman with pointed ears and looked like a scary version of a fairy approached me. She claimed to be my real mother and said that now that my mutant impurity from my father was erased my true heritage could come through," Pixie said.

"What was she talking about?" Surge asked.

"I don't know. She vanished and I woke with a start, her face already vanishing from my mind. I thought it was just a dream until I woke up and found a strange tingling sensation in my body. I always suspected but now I'm sure I have magical abilities. Not sure what all I can do, but so far I can fly and I can teleport and you guys need a teleporter," Pixie said with a smile.

"Okay, your in, only because you can teleport," Hellion said with a smirk.

"We better get going then. I don't think anyone else is coming and we got a good group here," Surge said as they all started to leave the park.

"You're not going anywhere, yet. Dani suspected this is what you all were up to," a voice said from behind them.

"So you've come to stop us?" Hellion asked with anger growing inside him ready for a fight.

"No, we've come to lead and help you," Xi'an said as she and Marrow stepped out of the shadows to complete the Secret Mutants.

**Next: Issue #50 – A New Day & Secret Mutants: The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part One**


	51. A New Day

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #50 – A New Day**

_**Xavier's School**_

"How are you doing?" Jubilee asked as she sat down next to a mutant whose skin was made of stone.

"Still adjusting, but with everything that has been constantly going on I've not had a chance to sulk in my condition," Synch answered as he slowly moved his arm up and stared at his stone hand.

"No luck in finding a way to cure it?" Jubilee asked knowing how hard it was for her friend to move his stone body without the aid of copying a fellow mutant's powers that helped him.

"No, Bishop, Amelia, Network and Prodigy took a look at me, even when Leech shut off my powers and there is no way to reverse this. Modifier altered y genes forcing a secondary mutation, there's no cure for that, but Bishop and Network were able to create a devise that decreases the gravity around my body so I can move almost with the ease I had when I was made of flesh," Synch said as he pointed at the belt around his waist with an "X" on it.

"I guess on the plus side, you're pretty resistant to injury now," Jubilee said with a smile as she touched his hand and then forced to keep it when she saw the pain in his eyes indicating that he could no longer _feel_ her touch.

"Yeah..so, pretty hard to believe that we've gone from an over crowded school to only twenty-three students," Synch said changing the subject.

"Not even students, as per Dani, the next generation pushing to be X-Men, which is what I've ever wanted and technically have already been," Jubilee added and ended with a back snap and firework flare.

"Yes, yes, we all know how you started out saving Wolverine and hanging with the X-Men form the start," Synch said rolling his eyes and finally laughed.

_**Another Part of the Mansion**_

"If it makes you feel any better, I hate Julian just as much for leaving too," Sofia said as she walked up to the leader of her former squad.

"I just don't get why I couldn't be a part of it or her. Not only did she form a secret team that she thought she hid from me but she then decides to leave me for them," David sighed, torn between anger and heartbreak.

"You could have gone with her," Sofia said.

"No, I couldn't for the same reasons you didn't chase after Julian. My place is here with this school and what they're doing just doesn't feel right," Prodigy said as Wind Dancer nodded.

"I just hope you understand why I didn't tell you and aren't mad at me," Sofia added.

"No, the only person that should have told me was Surge, but I guess she didn't love me as much as I thought she did," David responded.

"Well, they've made their decisions and all we can do is build and move towards the future with what we have here," Sofia said with a smile.

"Your right, I can so see how to make things here so much better that they were before," David said returning her smile.

_**Headmistress Office**_

"Lucinda is sad but seems more at ease managing the care of the mansion since there aren't as many people to cater to or clean up after," Skids said as she looked at the rest of the staff in the room.

"It just seems so empty in here with just the six of us," Rictor said as he looked at Sunspot, Skids, Bishop, Amelia Voght now going by Myst and finally Psyche.

"Well, it will be up to the us to guide these kids and train them to not only be X-Men but a well trained force," Dani said as she kept her back to them and continued to stare out the window.

"With the help of Network we've got the security around this place better than Ft. Knox," Bishop reported.

"I was surprised at how fast we got this place repaired and fixed up," Sunspot added.

"With the assistance of Rictor, Network and Prodigy we have a new program incorporated with the danger room that will find and push each student to their full potential," Myst said as Dani turned around.

"Great, we will want to start work with each student as soon as possible," Dani said as she glanced at Rictor who looked down still reeling from her anger when Network revealed to her the secret Rictor had kept about the program he had discovered.

"Have we heard from Xi'an?" Skids asked as she finally gave in to the question everyone had on their minds.

"No, all she said is she needs some time to heal and she wants to be left alone. Until then we are to respect her privacy and look after her sister," Dani said as she turned back around to face the window hoping to mask the truth of where Xi'an went and what she was doing.

"Dani, wait, Network just said that she's picking up a strange signature coming from the front lawn and, oh, Trance and Preview said to look outside now," Bishop said Dani jumped up against the window and he and the others raced to look behind her.

A strange pulse of light started to form in the front yard and then expanded as a large portal opened up. Dani just stared as Bishop began barking orders to Network as they armed and initiated the mansion defenses. Dani was about to race away from the window when figures began to step out of the portal. Some she didn't recognize and feared another attack when one form stepped next and her heart about exploded from her chest.

"Sam!" Dani screamed and was about to leap through the window when she saw not only Siryn step out after him but they were both holding hands.

"They're back, Dani, they're back," Skids said as she saw Rusty and darted out of the room as Dani just stood there and stared, a tear dropping from her eye just as Sam happened to look up her way and then look away dropping Theresa's hand.

_**Epilogue**_

"Watch out!" A voice screamed as a storm of electricity ripped down from the heavens hitting the ground causing an explosion that tore apart the entire area, destroying every building and killing every person but one.

"Nathan, dad!" A teenaged girl with flaming red hair screamed as she gripped her gun tight and made her way towards a figure lying in the middle of the crater, smoking and barely moving.

"Hope, I was afraid," Cable started to say but then began coughing up blood.

"No, my team just arrived when she attacked you resistance group," Hope said as she knelt down next to the man who had found her as a baby and raised and trained her into the teenaged warrior she was today and became the father he never had.

"Listen, we don't have much time before she attacks again. You and your team need to go back and prevent this from ever happening," Cable said as he pressed a button on a devise and opening up a portal before attaching it to her arm.

"I can't leave you," Hope said as her team was already heading into the portal.

"You have to. It's the only way to save our world and save all of us," Cable said as he found it harder and harder to keep his one eye open and breathe.

"I promise you, I will do what ever it takes to save you and make you proud," Hope said as she bent down, kissed her adopted dad on the cheek and then followed the rest of her group into the portal.

"Where has she gone?" A voice asked as a form floated down towards the dying mutant.

"To stop you and what you've done," Cable smiled.

"Tell me!" The woman screamed as lightening crackled in her eyes and lifted Cable into the air as she raised her right arm.

"Never," Cable said with his last breath.

"Mistress, I've locked on to her trail. She's gone back into the past. If we hurry we can follow her," a man said running up holding a devise in his hand.

"Guess your plan failed," the woman laughed as he used her power to start ripping the organic metal from his body with one hand while embedding his body with electricity finish off what was left of his human side with the other hand.

"Hope," Cable whispered before the dark took him.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part One**

"Dani really approves of this?" Surge asked as they all followed Xi'an and Marrow into a strange building.

"No, but she understands what we all are feeling must be done so she sent me to guide you," Xi'an said as she knew that Dani knew this may be the only way for her best friend to heal her spirit.

"What is this place?" Hellion asked.

"It's a hidden safe house of Cable's. It was the only one he left codes in case me or the Morlocks needed a place. Most may not like him or his style but he always takes care of his X-Force team, even if they are no longer members," Marrow said as she stepped into the room and pressed a button causing a computer system to boot up as well as the power in the whole building.

"You were never a part of X-Force," Surge said as she looked at the woman.

"I was a part of Cable's Underground for a while, especially back when I was in Weapon X. I did a lot of covert work for him," Marrow said with a growl in her voice.

"That may be so, but she turned on all of us. I don't see why she is allowed to be on this team let alone to walk free," Pixie added.

"I will make this clear to everyone. Marrow was intended to infiltrate and go undercover with the enemy. What Predator X did to her had messed with her mind. She is with us and we will give her the chance and respect to be a part of this team, subject closed," Karma said as she looked at everyone as she still felt Marrow was and always had been a wild card.

"So I take it your not the leader anymore?" Rockslide whispered to Hellion.

"Like we have a choice," Hellion huffed as he secretly felt relieved Xi'an was leading them since he was still shaken after the failures and casualties his first team met under his leadership.

"Here are our outfits. I managed to have them made and sent here," Karma said as she opened a panel in the wall and threw out fits at everyone.

"No "X" on them?" Match asked as he looked at his outfit.

"No, as you all intended and so it must remain that way, we are a secret group and will not be connected or associated with the X-Men. Also, each of your outfits were made with your powers in mind," Karma responded as each of the students had quickly gone to put on their new outfits, which she had kind of stolen the design from the previous X-Men covet ops team.

All of them wore identical outfits except for a few minor changes for certain members. The majority all wore the basic black leather looking outfit which included pants and top with grey boots, gloves and eye masks. A grey "S" on top of a "M" was position on their belt buckles. The team symbol and eye masks served as communication link between the teams but allowed some enhancements in the eye masks. The suits were made of material that complimented their powers but also added protection against most weapons and had stealth capability in them that blocked them from being picked up by most computer systems and blocked any readings if scanned for the X-Gene. The suits, with the belt buckle used a mix of nanite and holographic tech so that they appear in civilian attire when needed.

Kara liked what she had created, thanks to a little help from a few connections once she knew who was on the team, and was glad they got done so fast. Marrow's suit was easily gave way when ever she extended her bones, and like al their suits, self mended. Marrow was still getting used to wearing so much clothing. Surge, like her old gauntlets, allowed her to better control and channel her electricity from her body. Elixir's gloves would retract back into his sleeves upon command when he needed to use his gifts. Similar to Mr. Fantastic, Mercury's suit stretched and shifted in synch with her body and powers.

Razora wore a normal suit but when she shifted to her Penance form the suit didn't carry over for some reason. That was fine with Razora because her body was razor sharp and the suit would only restrict her as well as need constant repair work from her sharp body. Match's suit was completely resistant to his fire powers, as were all of theirs. Lastly was Rockslide. He was he only one that didn't wear a full suit. Because of the nature of his powers he just wore what looked like spandex shorts with the belt buckle and matching eye mask. Karma took one last approving look at her team and their outfits and then turned back to Marrow.

"Okay, we know what our mission is but our major prey is the New Brotherhood including their newest member, Port as well as Sinistra, Giant Dragon, Shatter and Weapon XX, otherwise known as Predator X. All data has been linked and uploaded," Marrow said as everyone jumped with start as the lenses in their eye masks started to display images and bios of their prey.

"Have you been able to pick up any traces of them?" Karma asked.

"Due to its nature and most of us having been affected by him I getting a read on Predator X," Marrow said as she continued to work the computer system.

"I can't wait till I get my hands on him," Hellion said as his power burned inside his body.

"And the fact that over half of us have been altered by him we don't have to worry about our powers being messed with," Medusa added wanting to gain revenge for her people.

"But also remember, a lethal strike from Weapon XX will not heal this time but more than likely be your death," Karma said as she glared at all of them, trying to keep them in check but also fighting the same feelings as them against their enemy.

"Okay, I just picked up a strange reading coming from under the sewers. I think there is a feint reading that matches that of Predator X," Marrow said suddenly.

"Pixie, can you take us there?" Karma asked.

"I'll try," Pixie said as she concentrated on the image in her eye mask and began to concentrate.

Listening to the voice and instinct from within herself as she worked her new found magic abilities. Her wings magically sprouted and she fluttered up in the air. Speaking words foreign to those around her she released her spell and magical pixie dust sot out everywhere coating all the members of the Secret Mutants. In a magical explosion of light and dust everyone vanished from sight and suddenly reappeared in an underground sewer tunnel. Pixie smiled with victory and then fell to the ground.

"You okay?" Match asked as he helped support a very weak Pixie.

"Yeah, teleporting so many so far really drained me," Pixie said as she still felt light headed.

"Where are we?" Beak asked as he raised his gun and looked around.

"We're, OMG!" Medusa screamed in horror as they all turned to see what she was looking at.

Everyone gasped as they saw the form of Callisto crucified to the wall above the tunnel entrance to another room. They couldn't tell if she was dead or alive but that wasn't the worst part of what they were looking at. Directly below her, in a pile right in front of the tunnel entrance were the bodies of all the Morlocks that had left with her laying in a pile.

"You think Predator X did this?" Mercury asked as she placed a hand on Medusa's shoulder.

"Whoever did this will pay, get her down!" Marrow screamed trying to hold back the tears.

Rockslide started to move towards Callisto when suddenly a powerful blast came out from the tunnel hitting him and sending him slamming against the wall and immediately exploding into a million pieces.

"Santo!" Hellion screamed as he saw his friend become no more.

"Down boy! Sorry about that, Face tends to react without thinking. Well what do we have here?" A man said stepping out of the tunnel looking at them as several figures remained in the shadows of the tunnel behind him.

"It can't be, your dead," Karma said as she stared at the man.

"I'll be, Xi'an, it has been a long time," General Nguyen Coy said as he pulled out a gun and released an explosive gas into the room taking down the Secret Mutants instantly.

**Next: Issue #51 – The Return – Part One & Secret Mutants: The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Two**


	52. The Return Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #51 – The Return – Part One**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants**_

_**Large Conference Room**_

Dani took a deep breath and tried to keep her emotions and expressions in check. A lot of information had been given to them, thanks to those with special mental gifts. For a long time many X-Men and vanished into space as well as many mutants on Earth had vanished and abducted. Now nearly all of them were back and with a story that not only finished the secrets of Xavier but totally changed what they knew or thought they knew. So many connections and new family connections. When she had learned of the Secret Mutants and what Xavier had done with them and the siblings of the original mutants she had no idea how far from the tip of the iceberg that had been. Now all the secrets were out as well as any memories that had been erased or altered. Dani sighed as she glanced from Sam to Theresa and back.

Dani had known the risk when Sam and the others had gone out on their mission. As much as she hoped they would find and uncover the Secret Mutants, she had hoped that they would fail, at least with getting their memories back. She also knew that they had been through a lot, battling and escaping the Celestia and finally returning back to Earth. She had just hoped that when they had returned home, that Sam would be returning to her as well. With all the commotion of their return, Sam had tried to explain but Dani didn't have the time or was ready to talk about it. Their love had been new and he still loved her, but the love of his first and true love with Theresa had been found and remembered as well and he couldn't shake those feelings as well. Dani knew the pain Sam was in, especially figuring out which love was stronger and still holding true, but Dani was in pain as well.

Dani glanced at the room full of people and was glad all her staff was her, minus Lucinda. Who was in another part of the mansion hugging and loving all her children that had returned, except Sam, who was in this meeting. Dani also thought of the other added pain to Sam and his family. Finding out that they were his true blood family and that he was actually the brother of Cyclops and related to the Summers Clan as well. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, Cyclopes and many others had remained behind in deep space. It seemed Apocalypse and a band of villains had kidnapped Mystique's babies, all fathered by different fathers, and soared off into deep space. _****See Sensational X-Men****_

Dani knew with all that was revealed that they had to stay behind but at least they had a guaranteed way back, but a part of Dani felt guilty that they were gone because she wasn't sure she was ready to give up control of the school, despite all that has recently occurred. She was worried because Frost was back and she had yet mentioned if she wanted control back or not. Then again she did have a lot going on with the death of her mother, her love Scott's marriage to another and discovering that the Cuckoos were her daughters, genetically created by Weapon Program. As she glanced from Frost and then over to Storm sitting next to Magneto she thought of the pregnant Storm and with a shudder she then thought of the other children of Magneto.

Lorna Dane was one of the ones that had stayed in space with Havok and the others and Jerrod, his son with Amelia was asleep in his quarters while Amelia attended this meeting. His eldest, Anya Odekirk the New Brotherhood leader known as Magnetrix was sitting in a maximum holding cell along with Wild Child who was on the feral side, that had come back that they had to lock up till they decided what to do with. Pietro Maximoff the Quicksilver, who had immediately left to take his daughter back to see her mother and his former wife, Crystal when he found out she was back with the Avengers. ****See current issues of Avengers Inc. ** **Then his twin, Wanda Maximoff the current leader of Salem-X, according to Magneto had headed back to her headquarters with her three sons, Dagger, Longshot, the sister of the late Cloak and the members of the Exiles. ****See current issues of Salem-X**** Magneto had planed on heading that way once things were settled here.

She couldn't wait till he left, but if Storm was vouching for him she would have to try and do the same. She was glad that Jean Grey was discovered alive though and was here. Dani had always like Jean and she might assist as a buffer between her and Frost and some of the other original X-Men that had come back. Dani knew she would have a lot on her mind as well, coming back from the dead to not only discover how Scott had moved on, twice and finding out what Xavier had done, her newly found sister Sway as well as the other relatives of hers. Cable and his daughter Tosha were here at the mansion now, along with Joey and Gailyn, but her daughter, Rachel had chosen not to remain with her.

Rachel, grieving the loss of her future son, Pete who had died, had decided it was best to separate herself from all of this and go back to her current team, X-Calibur. It seemed that the other's, though once X-Men had went back to their current team. Shadowcat and her future daughter Cat. Nightcrawler and his future kids, Nightmagik and Purple Fury. Sunfire, who had married Psylocke before being abducted and his brother Silver Samurai along with Drake Stuart, the future grandson of Psylocke and Iceman. ****See Backup Stories of X-Calibur in current issues of Sensation X-Men** **As she thought of Iceman, who had also remained behind in space, she thought of his family and the rest that had arrived on her doorstep.

Bobby had stayed behind with his sister Petra but the rest of his family was here. Their father William Drake was setup in his own room until Madeline could arrive. He was still grieving over the discovery of his sister who was then killed by the Celestia. It seemed his sister had two children, Mary who was with William now and Joel, who turns out to be Rusty Collins who is sitting next to Skids. As for the others who had arrived back here, Frost was in here but her daughters were back among her fellow students and bringing them up to speed while her siblings were in special rooms in the mansion. Even thought Frost vouched for them and said her brother was not evil and had been coerced, Dani felt better that Cordelia Frost and the former Brotherhood member known as One-Eighty, Christian Frost be contained till they had a chance to decide what to do.

Cable and Tosha were staying here till things were situated and then he would head after X-Force, maybe. It seemed he and even Warpath were not too sure about heading out to soon. Warpath had discovered that he had a son, by the questionable woman named Gloria Munoz or Risque. She was dead but her son, James, who was named after his father had taken his mom's codename. Not much is known about him yet but he was also being kept in a special holding room. He was in his teens but appeared older and hadn't said much yet, but he had shown a little emotion on finally learning who is father was. She wasn't sure how this would play out with the two or with X-Force or any of them here at the school.

Dani wasn't sure what to do about Norton McCoy. He and his brother Robert both had been taken along with his two sons, Beast and Darwin. Both Beast and Darwin had stayed behind, Robert had been killed and his wife having passed already that left Norton all alone. While in space he had been cured of his cancer as well as being stripped of his powers. After having a taste of being a hero and being cured of cancer he had a thirst to live, but had no where to go or a purpose. For now, Dani had let him roam the mansion and would see what they could do later. Norton wasn't the only ones just roaming the mansion.

It seemed that a newly formed group calling themselves X-Factor had helped in the rescue and returned here to the mansion with the others. The leader of this group was former X-Man, Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man. He sat here in this room while the rest of the team roamed the halls. It was an interesting group that made a fuss about not being aloud to be in here. There was Shard, Bishop's sister who was back here in the present and was very much alive. A teenaged boy by the name of Spike, as well as a strange woman named Layla Miller who simply knows stuff. Dani got a weird death vibe from her. She would have pressed more but she seemed to be close to Jamie, but she would investigate more later is they stayed. The last member of their team was Guido, the Strong Guy but unfortunately he had also lost his powers.

As she looked at the others in the room she was glad to have back, Wolfsbane, Amara, Siryn (maybe not so much anymore), Illyana who was now going by Darkchild, Sunpyre, who was now going by Fira as well as the students, the Cuckoos, Guthries, Shield & Shove, Wolf Cub, X-23, Skywalker, Species and Ruth Aldine. There were only a few other additions that had arrived with the others. Erista, Wolverine's son by a woman from the Savage Land named Gahck (who X-23 was keeping an eye on for her dad) and Daken, another son of Wolverine's but was also a member of Sam's Secret Mutants. He really made Dani nervous but Sam, Siryn and especially Fira, were vouching for him. All these family tree additions were giving Dani a headache.

The last two arrivals were interesting as well. Nicely put up in her own room was apparently Storm's ninety something grandmother, Oro. It was a lot to get used to that Amara, who now looked more like Storm's family, and Storm were actually cousins. She felt for Amara as not only gaining a grandmother and cousin, but had finally met her true mother to only loose her to the Celestia. Storm wanted Oro to return to Africa, but the grandmother said that for now her time was to be spent with her two grand daughters. She would return once she was no longer needed.

The other last arrival bothered Dani the most. Her name was Alisa Tager. She was the daughter of Tessa Tager, the X-Man known as Sage. No one ever knew that sage had a daughter except for Xavier who helped keep her safe and hidden while Sage was out doing Xavier's work. This isn't what bothered Dani, what bothered her was that Alisa had been living in the mansion since almost the beginning. Because of her powers and Xavier's she was made literally invisible to everyone as if she never existed, till now. How many times has she been next to her or ran into her and didn't know it? The more she thought about it the more she resented Xavier and tried not to shiver.

"Okay, you've called us all in here, let's get to the point," Frost said as she glared at those around the room.

"Frost, you will need to show some respect to us in our School," Sam said as she came to the defense of Dani.

"Your school?" Frost said as she got to her feet.

"Yes, our school. You all took off and Scott left us in charge. After everything that has happened we feel that," Dani began to say as she too got to her feet.

"Oh, and how many were killed under your watch?" Frost asked back.

"Yeah, Frost how many were killed under _your_ match?" Amara jumped up and glared at the former White Queen.

"Looks like someone just wants this school because she's suddenly the heir of Xavier," Magneto said with a chuckle but finding a bitter taste in his mouth for the first time when saying his old friend's name.

"That's enough!" Jean said as a force went out and forced everyone standing back into their chairs. "As far as the Xavier fortune goes, his son Lilandro has more of a right than you do," Jean finished thinking of her best friend, wishing he was here.

"Just because you're related to Charles, doesn't mean you automatically have the right to run the school," Sam said.

"Just as you being Scott's brother doesn't give you the right to resume control of his leadership role or you his former wife the right to dictate where the Xavier funds go," Frost spat back as she rested her eyes on Jean and smiled.

"But we were entrusted to run this school and we will continue to do so, even if and when Scott comes back. We are more fit to lead and guide these kids than you or even Xavier. If Lilandro were here, he would not only agree with me but he would continue to fund _my _school," Dani said, drawing on some emotions hidden somewhere from her brief time and talks with Lilandro that caused Frost, Jean and Sam to look at her oddly for a brief moment.

"Okay, this isn't getting us anywhere. Dani called us all here to discuss the plans and intentions of everyone here including those being held in cells. It seems that the discussion of the School's future and who should be leading it is being pushed to the forefront. As for the funds, it was clearly Xavier's intent, and you know this Frost when you all left for Space and backed by his current will, that the School is to be funded and taken care of, no matter who is leading it unless otherwise decided by Xavier himself or his heir, which is Lilandro not you. The fact that both we know to be alive, means you don't have a say in the funds," Bishop said as Frost bit her tongue knowing he was right.

"I agree with Bishop, and as one of the original students, I think we should all take a vote. Each of us here has either been an X-Man, a student, a staff member of or helped run the school or has some connection to this School and the dream it represents. Once we decide who should be running this school, we will all agree to back that decision up or you will leave," Jean said as she glared at Emma and then turned to Dani nodding for her to take the floor again.

"Okay, I nominate myself to keep running this school. If there are any other nominations, please make your voice heard and once we have all the nominations we will put the vote to the floor," Dani said with nervousness as Sam still sat allowing Frost to be the second to nominate herself.

_**Alaska**_

"Where are we?" A figure asked as the portal closed.

"We are in Alaska. This is where I was born. I have returned home," Hope Summers said as she looked around the area moving her silver weapon back and forth slowly before bringing it down and smiling.

"How can you call it home, Hope? You lived in this time all of a few hours before being taken on a journey into the future," a girl with blue crystal looking skin and long pink hair commented.

"Transonic, when we are on an official mission we use codenames. I may not have been here long, but there's still a connection of being home and that is why we dropped here," Hope said with a glare.

"Sorry, Mimicry," Transonic said with no true meaning behind it.

"So, do we even know where we're supposed to go?" A Hispanic boy with short dark hair asked as he stepped behind their leader, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"According to my Cable, our enemy was born in the United States on the other side of Canada from where we are now," Mimicry said as she moved away dropping the boy's hand from her.

"Man, I wish my powers allowed me to slow my aging as to live virtually forever," a girl with dark skin and long braided hair said as her right eye glowed blue and her left eye glowed orange.

"Okay, we don't have much time. We need to find our target and kill her in order to save our world. Let's go," Mimicry said as she and the other six members of her team quickly moved into the night.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Two**

"Where am I?" Karma asked as she slowly gained consciousness.

"Why, my dear niece you are in Purgatory," General Coy said as he stepped into the room.

"Are you sure it's not hell?" Karma asked as she saw her Uncle.

"Still feisty as ever I see," General Coy said as he saw his niece wince in pain, "oh, sorry, that device around your neck nullifies your ability to use your powers."

"What did you do with the others? And why did you kill all those mutants?" Karma asked as she saw she was the only on in the room and she still had the image of Callisto and the Morlocks in her mind.

"For your information, I did not kill those mutants. They were all dead but three when we arrived. I lost many soldiers trying to capture Weapon XX, especially when it split. Alas, it got away except for one, which managed to jump past us and into our portal. We were just coming back to get the one hanging when we ran into you," General Coy said.

"If you're so innocent, then why did you kill my teammate?" Karma asked.

"I said, it was an accident, Face fired first out of fear it was Weapon XX returning for it's other half. I figured gassing you all and bringing you here would be easier then doing one of those battle first talk later scenarios and then risk Weapon XX returning on us," General Coy said.

"As for your friend, he is not dead. We have detected life signs and doing what we can to revive him," another man said waling into the room.

"Thank you, General Ulysses," General Coy said.

"What is going on here?" Karma demanded.

"Let me explain," General Coy said as he released his niece from her bonds but not her collar.

"This way," General Ulysses said as he led the two family members out of the room.

"Oh my God," Karma exclaimed as she entered a very large area.

"God has nothing to do with this place. Welcome to Project Purgatory," General Coy said with a smile.

Karma couldn't believe her eyes. There was rock, lava and fire everywhere. As she looked up she saw a shimmery dome that separated them from what looked like a sky made dirt with constant lightening that seemed laced with fire. Every once in a while she thought she saw strange winged things flying across the sky. She was almost positive they were in Limbo or something very close to it. Specially since there were several cages with strange demon looking creatures in them. Some were alive others looked dead or as if they had been operated upon.

"Are we in Limbo?" Karma finally asked.

"No, but a very small pocket dimension, almost a suburb of Limbo if you will," General Coy said.

"How did we get here and what are you doing here?" Karma asked growing very worried.

"Well, when General Ulysses and his branch of the US Government took possession of the babies they had started to give off some strange readings. I was asked to join the team and somehow the babies opened up a portal to this pocket dimension. We found when in here they were at their strongest and had a strange bond to this world.

"So we moved a team here and began what we call Project Purgatory. Not only did being here trigger the baby's powers but it increased their ageing. The aging stopped and returned to normal ageing once we started the experiments," General Coy said.

"Babies, are you referring to the Inferno Babies? What experiments?" Karma asked in shock.

"Yes, those are the same babies and seems the residue from that Inferno event is what granted them their own pocket dimension. Anyway, your government wanted to start up a Weapons Program again. So we started by using the Inferno Babies, infused with this demon energy and grafting of demons to create Weapon XX, but it seams someone beat us to that name," General Coy said.

"The Weapon Program was shut down," Karma muttered.

"Yes, and no one bothered to tell us. Pretty much left us for dead here. We finally got the portal back here to open once we finished with Weapons XX and were ready to come back. Of course we come back and find that time has moved by a little faster and the program is gone, they already had gotten to number twenty and we were marked as dead and lost. I made it back here before the government could arrest me and try and take procession of my children.

"By creating a portal in this tunnel we managed to keep a synch so time stayed parallel and we could go back and forth for supplies. We just came back through for another test run when we run smack into Weapon XX and the dead Morlocks," General Coy said.

"I can't believe this. So why bring us here?" Karma asked.

"It seems the split self of Predator XX not only killed some of my children but is wrecking havoc here. I figure we can use the fallen Morlocks to try and see if Project Purgatory will work on mutants not infused with the Inferno energy that the Inferno Babies had," General Ulysses said as they entered a room where eleven figures about her age stood in attack stance in front of cages holding her Secret Mutants while a man in a white lab coat stood on the other side staring at a creature made of molten rock.

"Yes, that is your fallen teammate. It seems he's all better in sorts and those there are who is left of the Inferno Babies or as I now call them now, the Inferno Brigade," General Coy said as Karma just stood there speechless.

**Next: Issue #52 – The Return – Part Two & Secret Mutants: The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Three**


	53. The Return Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #52 – The Return – Part Two**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants**_

"Are you all nuts?" Frost shouted in protest.

"Emma, we all agreed we would respect," Jean began to say, trying to talk over the former Headmistress of the school.

"Storm, even you can't be serious about this?" Frost asked cutting off the annoying red head.

"Emma, as much as I would like to take control of the school or even back you," Storm said rolling her eyes, "I have more important things to be taking care of."

"I agree," Magneto said as he put a hand on Storm's shoulder smiling down at her.

"You all are nuts if you think I'll stand by and watch this school me and Scott helped rebuild continue to be run into the ground by a bunch of young X-Men men wannabes," Emma shouted.

"You now where the door is," Sam said cutting the woman off.

"And I'd be more than happy to help show you to it," Bishop added with a smile.

"No need," Frost said as she stormed out of the room.

"Emma, wait!" Jean called after the woman with no effect

"Let her go, you guys are better off without her," Jamie chimed in with a chuckle.

"Now, are you sure about this?" Dani asked looking at everyone feeling relieved.

"Yes, Dani, no matter what you have earned the right to run this school and you will have all our support," Storm said as Jean, Magneto and the rest all nodded.

"So you're truly going to let us run this place and not interfere?" Sam asked looking at the older X-Men.

"Just like Bishop, we will be here to help teach and protect the school as needed," Jean answered.

"Don't worry, you kids haven't done any worse than the rest of us," Cable said as Dani winced a little, still not used to his flesh now being completely organic metal.

"With that settled, let's finish up here," Magneto said, growing tired of the meeting.

_**Frost Quarters/Holding Cell**_

"This is crazy. I don't even know why they are holding me here. I've never done anything wrong," Cordelia Frost, the youngest of the Frost children said running her hand through her midnight black short hair.

"That's because those that run this school remember your stint with "Mondo", Black Tom and your failed attempt at trying to join the Hellfire Club," Emma said stepping into the room, swaying as she felt the dampeners kick in, and stared at her youngest sister and her elder brother.

"Whatever, so what's this, a family meeting?" Cordelia rolled her eyes as she saw three identical girls step in with Emma.

"Oh, my nieces, Celeste, Mindee and Phoebe, right?" Christian asked as he clapped his hands after giving his sister a big hug.

Emma smiled at her brother and watched him hug the Cuckoos, her daughters. Once might argue that they weren't her daughters since they had been grown, but the fact that Project X had used her eggs made them as close to being real daughters as one could get. Emma thought it would be weird or take time to get used to them, but since they were psychics and on some level they had almost known and felt connected, they had easily moved into the role as if she had raised them all their lives. Even Christian had bonded quickly with them and despite how much she hated it, he had spent a lot of time conversing with Jean as well when she came down to check on those in cells.

"So if this is a family meeting, where's our grandfather, Xavier and the other two, Lilandro and Zan. How are we exactly related again since Xavier kept jumping into his offspring's bodies?" Cordelia asked being annoying.

"As far as I'm concerned, we are not related to them. We are Frost's and our family starts and ends with us," Emma said trying to control her anger over everything lately and her decision that is was no time to leave this place, especially now that Scott was gone and no longer available to her, for now.

"Mom, we don't want to leave. We like it here," Celeste began to say when a large explosion shook the room.

"What is that?" Christian asked.

"Schools been breeched," Emma and the Cuckoos said in unison as the room's dampener went off.

_**Not Far Down From the Frost's **_

"It's true, it is her," Pyra said as he, Lady Mastermind, Aumente, Crimson Commando and Port, wearing a outfit very similar to Astra's stepped in front of the cell holding Magnetrix.

"How?" Magnetrix said as she looked at her Brotherhood, minus the recently deceased Astra, her defected brother Pietro and One-Eighty, who was being held not far from them.

"If it wasn't for Prism secretly leaving with Sinistra's group and us planting a fake here to act as an anchor to teleport in we wouldn't be able to free you," Lady Mastermind said as Crimson Commando broke their leader out of her cell.

"We must hurry," Magnetrix said still feeling weak from being in the cell for so long.

"You're not going anywhere," Cable said pointing his gun at the Brotherhood as he, Jean, Dani, Sam, Bishop, Magneto, Storm and Siryn stepped into the room as Network and the rest of the staff and X-Factor secured the school and it occupants and made sure there were no other unexpected guests.

"Not another move or I will go all pyro on this place," Pyra laughed as everyone felt the heat building and fast.

"What is, oh," Emma said as she, her daughters and her siblings rounded the corner.

"One-Eighty, quickly, we are leaving," Lady Mastermind said as Aumente placed her hand on Port's back to give her the boost needed to get them all our of here.

"I," Christian began to say.

"You don't have to go," Jean said as Emma glared at her.

"Chris, over here, now!" Pyra commanded.

"No, I want to stay. The Brotherhood, you, isn't what I want, never wanted, at least not like that," Christian started to stay.

"Then die with them," Pyra shouted in anger at being rejected and ignited a powerful blast of fire.

"No!" One-Eighty said as he had kept eye contact with his former boyfriend and caused the blast of fire to reverse and turn on its master and friends, causing them to scream, fall back.

"Take them," Cable said as he moved and then found himself being pushed back and slammed against the far wall.

"I am don't playing games," Magnetrix said as she stood, beads of sweat on her brow as she called on her weakened power to grab hold on her enemy and the walls around them.

"Anya, my daughter, stop, please," Magneto said as he waved both arms causing his daughter and the Brotherhood to go flying back while breaking the magnetic hold on the ones his daughter attacked.

"Don't call me that. You lost that right when you abandoned me," Magnetrix said flying to her feet and taking a stand in front of her father.

"I didn't know," was all Magneto got out before his daughter unleashed her power on him.

Magneto countered pushing out with his powers to meet that of his daughters. As both powers collide they cause an explosion that pushes Magnetrix to he knees and Magneto to sway and almost loose his balance. Magneto Quickly pins his daughter and her team down, anger starting to replace his pain, "Anya, it doesn't have to be there way. We are family."

"You are all dead to me, I have no family. I vow that I will not rest till everyone related to you or you care about is dead. Once that is done then I will kill you myself," Magnetrix declared as she pushed with the last of her strength to push her father back and release his hold on them.

"Get us out of here," Lady Mastermind said as Aumente infused Port with a power boost.

"Wait, take him as well," Magnetrix said as she pointed and Crimson Commando fired off his gun causing a cell to shatter and Wild Child to leap out.

"You dead," Pyra growled at Christian as in a pulse of sparkling light Magnetrix, Wild Child and the Brotherhood were gone.

_**Epilogue One**_

"How are you doing?" Wolfsbane asked as she stepped into Dani's office.

"Fine, really," Dani answered.

"Hey, with Sam, I've been there done that. Just give him space and sort out his feelings," Rahne said.

"I know, I just wish his revealed life hadn't come with a girlfriend," Dani sighed.

"That's better than finding out that your real father and half uncle are notorious villains," Rahne said with a chuckle.

"On the plus side, how cool is having Wolverine as an uncle?" Dani asked back finally feeling a little better.

"Whatever, back to why I'm here. We got all the students and staff back on track and will still keep to your new plan and not have squads. Madeline Drake arrived and she and the rest of the Drakes want to stay here for a while as does Norton who insists on helping out around here. Cable and Magneto both plan on leaving in a few days," Rahne said.

"I see and with Sam allowing the others in his Secret Mutants team form his previous life to stay here as well we care getting a full house again. What about Jamie and X-Factor?" Dani asked.

"Bishop I think wants to hold on to his sister so he's offered them to stay on here as School security. Jamie would rather leave but that Layla chick says that they need to stay here for now," Rahne said.

"Well, at least Emma's gone and her stupid sister," Dani added.

"I'm glad the Cuckoos agreed to stay but why let Christian stay?" Rahne asked.

"Jean believes he's good. He's just had a bad life and never been given a fair chance, plus Rictor agreed to keep an eye on him and help him on the right track," Rahne said as she looked at Dani and they both knowing this had to make Emma furious.

_**Epilogue Two**_

"I can't believe you let him stay," Cordelia said as she followed her sister into a dark café.

"I can't believe you severed ties with that place," a voice said from the shadows of a corner booth.

"You were our inside, even though we thought you gone forever," a second voice added.

"Don't worry, I still have an inside but what we needed has been found. Not only do I know that the Pheoneix Force still exists, but Xavier's secret showed there is more power then we could even imagine," Emma said as she and her sister stepped up to the table as she got very sharp so they could all talk and not be heard.

_What is she doing here? _The woman with jet black hair asked.

_Yeah, she wasn't good enough to ever be a member then what makes her good enough to be one now? _The other woman added.

_With the London branch falling and the Shaws gone the Inner Circle and all carnations are no more. We are starting something new and from the ground up. As we agreed, this will be a new Hellfire Club ruled by Queens, not Kings or Imperials. We will each represent a color, select a King to serve us as well as our appointed court. _

_Our mission will be to find a way to kill the holders of the Phoenix Force, resurrect it from the ashes and making it the anchor to recreate all the Totems and harness and control that power once again. I, Emma Frost as the White Queen, my sister the new Blue Queen, you, Selene the Black Queen and the newly resurrected Madelyn Pryor as the Red Queen, and together we will be unstoppable as the new Hellfire Cult._

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Three**

"Santo, are you okay?" Karma asked as she looked at the mutant known as Rockslide who no looked like molten rock.

"Yes, never better. It seems I can reform my body and take on the properties of the material I use," Rockslide said as he walked over to the leader of their Secret Mutants team.

"Okay, now release the rest of them," Karma demanded of her uncle.

"Not yet, I want to ensure full cooperation," General Coy said while his niece did not trust or believe him.

"I want to re-introduce you to the Inferno Brigade. You've met Face. Due to the effect of his power blowing off his face he can't see, speak or hear. We've grafted that plate on his face to allow him to control his gifts and he also has a Psi-like field that acts like a Seeing Eye dog so he can get around," General Coy said.

"How do you communicate with him?" Karma wondered.

"We don't, he just follows the others thanks to the bond they all share," her uncle said as he continued to introduce the rest of the Inferno Brigade.

There was Scab, a bald man with scars and scabs all over his body. He only wore pants and boots leaving his chest and arms exposed except for a strange metal square on each side of his chest. Then there was a black girl named Trista with braided hair and leech looking hands. Next to her was a Japanese girl who looked normal except for a demon looking tail she had coming out of her backside. Her uncle then pointed out a boy whose body looked like it was made out of some kind of gelatin substance. His name was Alex and the blue sinned boy with claws for fingernails that stood next to him was called Bob.

Then there was another boy named Russell who wore a helmet over his head and looked like he had something on the outer part of his arms. Next to him was a very rough looking girl with demon and cybernetic parts grafted all over her body named Loca. The last two boys were named Timothy and Maw. Timothy looked like your typical blond hair blue eye jock except for these strange demon looking exhaust tubes sticking out of his forearms. Maw was completely scary looking and disturbing. He wore cut off cargo pants and had multiple mouths all over his body that never opened and remained shut. The only one to actually open was his actual mouth. The group was strange and Karma almost wondered how they would have turned out if the X-Men had gotten then instead of the government.

"So, there mutant powers made them look like that?" Karma asked.

"Not really. That was part of the Project. We improved and enhanced their abilities by grafting demon parts to them," General Ulysses answered.

"That is inhumane," Karma began to say.

"No, it helped save their lives as it did the Morlocks we just saved," her uncle said as Karma turned to see General Ulysses open up some tubes.

"What have you done to me?" Callisto asked as he stepped out, her arms gone and replaced by a long green tentacle.

"You were almost dead and defenseless now you have a way to defend yourself. Along with her and two others we did find two more we thought were dead but were alive. It seems the effects of Weapon XX when it scratched you can have different effect on a mutant," General Coy said as Karma tried to not let on that she already new this information.

General Ulysses then explained about the other Morlocks. Erg could now absorb all forms of energy on a mass scale and release it. As to not have devastating effects they grafted a strangle plate on his chest where he could safely release the energy. Electric Eve had gone omega as well and become pure electricity. She wore strange bands on her wrists, ankles and neck that allowed her to keep a solid form made of energy. The collar around her neck also helped make it possible for her to speak. Sling Snot was still pale green but had strange demonic snouts grafted all over his exposed bare chest and back. The last one was Ent. He had been rendered powerless but had retained his large form and had red demon armor grafted all over his body making him look like a very large demon.

"And the fact it works on other mutants shows that the potential is unlimited," General Ulysses concluded.

"Wait a minute," Karma said as she realized that her uncle never had any intention of freeing her team but was interrupted by a loud alarm.

"What is that?" Rockslide asked as he looked all around.

"Predator XX has broken through the barrier and it seems he's brought friends," General Coy said as they looked up to see a large hole in the barrier up in the sky as several creatures began to flood in.

"Rockslide, free the others, quickly," Karma commanded as she heard her uncle shout at the Inferno Brigade and then turn to see that demonic creatures had them surrounded and Predator XX was now staring at her only six feet away and preparing to attack.

**Next: Issue #53 – The Lights – Part One & Secret Mutants: The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Four**


	54. The Lights Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #53 – The Lights – Part One**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants**_

"Nathan Christopher Dayspring-Summers, I wish there was something I could do," Jean Grey said as she touched her son's face.

"There's nothing anyone can do. There's no way to reverse the process and as much as I miss my telekinesis, I have it locked holding the virus away from me internally and my vital organs," Cable said as he looked in a mirror and saw a shiny silver face looking back.

"It just," Jean began but Cable took her hand. She my not have given birth to him, but she was the only mother he had ever known.

"Don't worry about me. Like you I'm a fighter and a survivor," Cable said with a smile.

"So when's your team heading out?" Jean asked not needing telepathy to know her son's thoughts.

"Domino and her X-Force team are already heading to one of my safe houses tracking a lead on Sinistra and her band of evil. I'll leave in the morning to meet up with them there," Cable said.

"You don't have to go," Jean said knowing her plea was useless.

"Yes, I do. Sinistra and the others need to be brought down," Cable said.

"Who's going with you? I know Siryn turned you down to stay here at the school," Jean asked.

"My daughter, Tosha will be going with me," Cable said.

"I haven't had a whole lot of time with my granddaughter, but from what I see she is a lot like you, in many ways," Jean said with a smile.

"I was hoping she would stay here but she insists on being by my side. We've started to heal and grow closer. She even mentioned in passing she was thinking, instead of adding the hyphened last name, just changing her last name to Summers to carry on the family name," Cable said with a smile and then paused.

"Stop, that is your family name. I was declared legally dead, and with so much time passing Scott has moved on and I'm fine with that. Just because I went back to my maiden name doesn't mean we aren't all the Summers family, plus it's only fair since your sister chose to carry on the Grey name. So, who else is going with you?" Jean asked changing the subject.

"Not too many and I cleared everything with Dani and Sam first. I'm taking X-23, Warpath and his son Risque and Cipher since she is long over due to get out of the mansion and the fact she makes the others nervous having been in the mansion all these years and no one knew it," Cable said.

"Well, be careful and keep in touch," Jean said as she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

_**Headmistress' Office**_

"Dani, please," Sam said trying to keep his voice down.

"Sam, I think it's better if we stop and go back to being friends," Dani said trying to stay strong.

"I haven't' done anything with Theresa. I still love you," Sam began to say.

"But, you remember your time as her boyfriend and still have those strong first love feelings for her. We have a school to run and I don't have time for you to try and sort this out," Dani said as she had to bite her tongue when Siryn asked to stay on at the school and not go out into the field with X-Force.

"Dani, please," Sam begged.

"Sam, it's for the best. Besides the school, you need to focus on your reunited family, both the Guthrie's and Summers, and dealing with your former life memories which includes Theresa," Dani said putting an end to the subject.

"Fine, but you're okay with Theresa joining the staff here?" Sam asked nervously.

"Yes, we can use her. We have twenty-one X-Men in training and now with all of you missing mutants returning the student number just doubled and that includes ALL your brothers and sisters," Dani said as she kept her eyes off Sam and on the list in front of her.

"Hey, I agree with you one hundred percent. Both Paige and Elizabeth need better training. That's why, no matter what the age, we made Sway and Mary Drake part of the X-Men in training," Sam added instantly.

"I still think Christian Frost, despite my reservations of him actually staying here, should be part of that group, but I guess if Jean vouches for him then I guess he can be part of the staff, probationary that is," Dani said as she was glad that Rictor agreed to keep an eye on him.

"Well, along with him and Jean we also have Rahne, Amara, Theresa, Rusty and Illyana joining the staff. The Drakes and Norton McCoy will just be staying here but will help out where needed with Lucinda," Sam said.

"What about Leyu?" Dani asked.

"She's going to head overseas to go visit her brother and Betsy over at X-Calibur. She wants to see the newlyweds. I also think Daken is going to go with her," Sam said.

"Good, he gives me the creeps," Dani said as she couldn't wait for Magneto to leave as well, who wanted to wait till Storm and Oro were settled well here before leaving them for a brief time to hunt down his eldest daughter.

"So does that Layla girl. Jamie wants to leave but all she says is she knows they have to stay for one more day," Sam said as he wished Dani would at least look at him when they talked.

"Well, I think this does it for tonight," Dani said finally looking up and giving Sam the hint he needed to leave.

_**Outside Grounds**_

"I hope you understand why I must go," Magneto said as he looked from the eyes of the woman he loved to her large belly.

"Yes, you need to find your daughter," Storm said but not sure what she truly thought of the whole thing.

"I hate to leave you," Erik added as he touched Storm's face with one hand while touching her pregnant belly with the other.

"I can take care of myself, but don't worry, there are plenty of friends here, including my grandmother," Ororo said with a smile.

"Don't forget your sister, child," Oro said as she and Amara came walking out.

"Of course not," Storm smiled still not used to seeing Amara with dark skin thanks to her reverting after her memories had come back.

"Well," Magneto began to say when Oro held up a hand to silence all.

"What is it?" Storm asked standing up quickly.

"Shh, I feel a disturbance in the air," Oro said as she looked around.

"Nobody move," a voice called out as they all turned to see a woman with bright red hair pointing a gun at them with six additional figures behind her all wearing futuristic outfits with a strange holographic lighted "X" on them.

"You dare threaten Magneto?" Magneto stood up and violently whipped his arms at the group.

"You think we don't come prepared?" Mimicry asked as she held a non-metal gun as well as all their costumes equipped to resist any magnetic effect on them.

"We'll see about that," Storm said as her pupils went white and lightening struck down.

"Velocidad," Mimicry said as her teammate went into action.

Velocidad pushed out with his powers causing the area around them to slow down with time. This allowed them to leap out of the way of the lightening bolts well before it struck. They quickly ran down towards the group of X-Men. Amara and the others stared in amazement because to them it appeared as if this group of young attackers had moved with great speed and in an instant before the lightening struck, they were gone and now down in front of them.

"Ororo," Oro began to say when suddenly she was encased in ice.

"Oya, behind you," Mimicry said as her teammate turned from her frozen target to see Magneto advancing on her but was stopped as another figure had leapt out, striking Magneto and sending him flying backwards with great strength.

"Thanks, Primal," Oya said with a smile.

"Oh, you all are so dead," Magma said as she called on her powers and the ground began to erupt.

"Not so fast," the girl with blew skin and pink hair said as Amara was suddenly in her hands.

Mimicry and the others watched in awe as their teammate, Transonic had grabbed Magma with super speed and shot straight into the air. Mimicry saw that her friends body had not only changed to allow her to fly up into the air where it would be too cold for fire but take on a texture to allow her to hold onto a very hot body. Storm stood facing the other attackers as she was now alone in the fight.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Storm asked as she started to call on her powers.

"I wouldn't do that or I will kill her," a bald and strange looking figure said as strange tentacles grew from his arms and seemed to form around her frozen grandma and start to burrow though the ice near her head.

"Zero, remember, not to kill any innocents here no matter what," a blond girl with strange glowing skin said.

"Don't worry, Serenity, I will only kill who Mimicry has approved to kill, for now," Zero said with the last two words under his breath.

"What's going on? Someone, somehow hacked into my body-slide and that has never, OMG!" Cable rushed out shouting and then suddenly stopped.

"Cable!" Mimicry suddenly gasped as she looked up to see a man made of organic metal stepping out of the mansion followed by a bunch of other mutants.

"Hope?" Cable asked in surprise as he suddenly recognized a girl he hadn't seen in years. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, father, but you sent me and the rest of the Lights back in time to save our future and that's what we're doing," Mimicry said as she noticed everyone suddenly staring at her and Cable, mouths open in questions at what just transpired.

"Did she call you father?" Tosha asked seconds before Dani had.

"Save the future, what are you talking about?" Cable asked.

"For our future to survive, I must kill Storm and her unborn child," Mimicry said as Sunspot fell to the ground as a light seemed to pass from him to her causing her eyes to glow white right before her body went solar black and she sent a powerful plasma blast right at Storm.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Four**

"There's too many of them," Marrow said as she trust and jerked her arms out sending out sharp bones and hitting the demon creatures like spears while extruding more to use as weapons for close combat.

"We can do it," Dryad said as she had used her new omega level power to tap in, find demon like plants and cause them to grow and help strangle and in some cases, chew and swallow the attacking demons.

"Just watch your backs," Surge said as hit a flying demon with electricity before it had gotten too close to Dryad.

"Just wish I could do more," Elixir said as he dodged and ran acting as the felid medic healing any that got injured.

"Hey, healing us is very important," Mercury said as she had taken a loosely liquid form of a large demon as well to help fight thanks to her powers going Omega and she could in a sense shape shift now.

Hey, Josh, until I get a better handle on my magic it's you and me," Pixie said as she teleported Elixir where he was needed.

"Die, demon scum," Beak screamed as he used a large canon to blast away demons. He may be normal but he had his weapons and he was now a born warrior.

"I wish I knew where they are coming from. For every one we kill there is like twenty more," Hellion said as he used his powers to deflect the fire breathers as Razora just charged into the demons slicing them up with her razor sharp body.

"I may be able to submerge these guys in fire, but most are resistant to my powers," Match said growing as tired as Medusa was staring at demons and shooting whatever she could form her warts to fend off the demons.

"At least our new friends are helping us," Rockslide said as he battled the demons and glanced over at others.

Ent was ripping through the demons as the demon armor grafted onto his body not only gave him resistance to injury but also enhanced his strength. Erg was blasting what he could with energy while Electric Eve was barley holding shape and she bounced around electrifying her opponents. Sling Snot stood near Callisto sending snot from all the snouts on his body doing what he could to distract the demons while Callisto helped take them down with her new tentacles that seemed to grow, split and multiply as much as she willed them to and had uncanny strength.

Karma took a glance at the Inferno Brigade also in action but had to stay focused. Demon minds were harder to process and she managed to grab two large strong ones to help them kill the demons attacking. Toko, like Hellion was using his force field powers to help deflect the fire breathers. Face was blasting demons left and right as well as Timothy with his thermal energy blasts. Maw, his mouths were now open and had sharp teeth that allowed him to bite and tear apart the demons. Trista was talking backwards to some of the demons and getting them to do her bidding and turn on their own kind. Shauna would touch a demon with her leech-like hand causing them to momentarily become paralyzed while she gutted them with a large demon like blade.

There were others that also had strange demon weapons and blades that they used since their powers weren't as destructive. Scab would cut himself and lit his blood out and create an armor like plating to help protect his body while he used his blades on the demons as well. Alex was engulfing his foes and inhibiting them while Russell flew by with super speed and slicing at them with his claw like blades attached to his hands while Bob sent out mini duplicates of himself to claw and scratch the demons. The last was Loca who had two demon looking guns in her hand sand was blasting away. The only ones not helping were her uncle and General Ulysses who were both watching Predator XX who seemed to be standing off to the side watching the battle and waiting.

"What do you think it's waiting for?" Callisto asked as if she was reading Xi'an's mind.

"I think its seeing what we can all do and strategizing it's plan of attack and in the mean time see how many of us the demons take out for him," Karma said as she glanced over at face and suddenly felt light headed.

"Who are you?" a voice asked causing Xi'an to turn and see a man close to her age with short blond hair and beautiful blue eyes.

"I'm Xi'an," Karma said and then paused as she realized the demons were gone she and this guy were standing in the middle of a cornfield next to a large farm.

"Nice to meet you, I would give you my name but I don't seem to have one," the man said.

"You don't have a name?" Xi'an asked in confusion.

"No, I was never given one. When my powers manifested I lost my sight, voice and hearing so I've lived my whole life sensing my brothers and sisters around me and fighting. How did we get here?" The man asked.

"Oh, you're Face. Someone my powers linked with you and we are in your mind," Karma said as she briefly explained who she was and what was going on.

"Well that explains how I can talk and hear. I wish I could do that in real life and for the record, Face is cool for a nickname but think I'm more of a Bart," Face said.

"Actually, I think I can help you with that," Karma said.

"What do you mean?" Face asked.

"It would weaken my powers some but I could extend my mental power in you enough to allow you to at least see, smell and heat through me. As far as talking I'd be the only one able to hear you," Karma said as Bart ran up, hugged her and then they were both back on the battlefield.

"Where were you? There's a battle going on," Callisto said as Karma finally snapped back to reality.

"I was talking with Bart," Karma said nodding to Face.

Karma's team instantly noticed a change in the Inferno Baby. He seemed more aware of his surroundings and fighting more humanly than just animalist rage. Karma told those near her that she was extending part of her powers into his mind allowing him to see, hear and smell through her. They were connected just enough for him to do this instead of her fully taking over his body. As long as Face stayed close enough to her she could do this with ease and not having to truly concentrate to do it and fight as well. Of course she could do this with ease, but it did weaken her ability to control others so she had to fight a little harder, physically.

"No!" Erg shouted as they all turned to see a demon tear Sling Shot in half.

It wasn't long after that a demon engulfed Bob and devoured him causing all his mini duplicates to revert back to blood and vanish. Both the Secret Mutants and Inferno Brigade fought with all their might trying to win a never ending battle. Meanwhile, Predator XX just sat there and watched. General Coy didn't like it but at this point he knew it was only a matter of time before they were all overwhelmed. Project Purgatory had been compromised and with word that the Weapon Project was no more there wasn't a need for any of this. He took a deep breath and did what he knew he must.

"Ulysses, it's time. Code Inferno Extinguished," Coy said as General Ulysses walked over to a devise and gave the command codes causing the machine to start to beep.

"Sir, it is," was all Ulysses got out before he was cut off by a large sharp tail piercing out of his chest.

"What're you doing?" Karma asked as she saw her uncle's partner's lifeless body get tossed aside by Predator XX.

"I'm putting an end to this once and shutting down the Project indefinitely. Project Inferno, alpha codes extinguish fire," Coy said as the machine suddenly began to pulse with a white light.

"What did you do?" Callisto demanded.

"I set the self destruct. In ten minutes, this inferno bomb will go off causing this pocket of Limbo to close in on itself destroying everything here. As always, my niece," Coy said as he pressed a button and opened a small portal that he leapt through.

"Coy!" Karma screamed as the portal started to close and the pulsing machine started to emit a very bright light.

**Next: Issue #54 – The Lights – Part Two & Secret Mutants: The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Five**


	55. The Lights Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #54 – The Lights – Part Two**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants**_

_**Outside Grounds**_

"Stop!" Cable commanded as he leapt in front of Storm taking the brunt of the blast that had little effect on his strong metal body.

"Sorry, father. I have no choice," Mimicry said as she started to move forward.

"You heard MY dad, back off," Tosha said as she picked up Mimicry with her powers and pinned her back against the ground.

"Nothing will stand in my way, not even you," Mimicry said as her eyes flashed and a white light passed from Tosha and into her own body.

Mimicry smiled as she was no longer solar powered and had taken on a new power. With a powerful push she grabbed Tosha and propelled her high and over the mansion causing her to go out of sight and to release her. Without missing a beat, she flipped back onto her feet and sent Magneto flying into the mansion. She went to turn around when she suddenly grabbed her head in pain and then dropped to the ground unable to move. Mimicry could barely think or focus but before she blacked out she saw Jean Grey, Suzann Grey Christian Frost and the Cuckoos stepping onto the grounds towards her.

"We can, what gives?" Velocidad suddenly questioned when he realized nothing was happening.

"Sorry, my power, when forced on you, pretty much appears to cancel them out," Sway said as she focused everything she had on the Lights.

"And we can handle the rest," Wiz Kid said as he and his best friend Leech stepped out of the shadows.

Leech looked at all seven figures known as the Lights who were all now in close vicinity of each other. All of the mutants stepped back and out of the way as Leech focused his powers and reached out to cover only the area surrounding the Lights. Leech's eyes grew bright as instantly the seven Lights felt their powers drain from them and those with physical mutations found themselves now looking very normal. Then dozens of mechanical devises planted themselves in a circular pattern around the null field holding the Lights

"If any of you even think of running or even moving a muscle, Leech will drop his field fast enough for me to activate the devises which will send a huge voltage of electricity into you all causing you to drop seconds before Leech has the field back up to cancel our your powers," Whiz Kid said with a smile.

"I always heard rumors that Human Power Drainers had once existed but to see one in person," Zero said as he stared at the green humanoid teen with large glowing eyes.

"Okay, explanations, now," Storm and Magneto said in unison as everyone looked at Cable.

"Hope," Cable said staring at the girl as he also felt Tosha glaring at him as well.

"Sorry, father. I've failed," Hope replied.

"Cable, who is this and why does she call you father?" Jean asked, not needing telepathy to know it was the question on all's minds.

"Not only that, I want to know why they attacked my school," Dani demanded.

"This is Hope Summers, my adopted daughter. A long time ago, on one of my trips back in time, I stopped in Alaska to reminisce at the place my parents were from and my birthplace. While there, a group of time travelers had arrived and attacked a hospital where Hope here had been born.

"By the time I got there, the baby's parents had been killed and most of the staff. The abductors had the baby in their arms and were preparing to time jump. With quick speed and use of my abilities I not only killed them all, but found out they were there to abduct the baby as she was destined to grow up and be a powerful mutant. I used their time devise and damaged it sending it back causing it so that whoever had tried to come back would never be able to come back to this point or earlier ever again.

"Knowing that this baby would not be safe I took her and leapt trough time. For years I would jump forward in time, as in doing so would keep her safe from her attackers, that seemed to find us and attack at various points. During this time I had officially adopted her and named her Hope and gave her the Summers' last name. As soon as she could walk and talk I trained her to be a warrior. When she had turned twelve, her powers began to manifest and I learned she had the ability to mimic another's powers as well as they were in her reach, meaning I learned she could mimic a power if she saw the person or felt them or their powers on her or around her even if they were not within site.

"A few more years went by and she was developing them nicely. At times I had to leave her for my own missions, so as long as she was not with me and I went back in time alone she was safe from her abductors. On the last time I made it to her from a mission in the past, I almost didn't make it in time. She was being attacked by Apocalypse and his Horsemen, as he was the one after her all this time as in hopes of creating a weapon to stop me form ever stopping him. It was a fierce battle and the horsemen were killed and Apocalypse was sent back, crippled to his time, but in the process we too were split up and sent into the time stream.

"I spent many years trying to find her but failed. Right before landing here in this time period and making a permanent stay, I had found evidence that Hope had been killed and didn't make it. Oh, Hope, all this time," Cable said as Tosha grumbled under her breath.

"So it looks as if I have another grand-daughter to get to know and love just as equally," Jean said reaching out with a calm thought to both Hope and Tosha.

"Okay, touching now get to the part where you came here trying to kill my child," Storm said with lightening crackling in her eyes.

"Hope, what happened, please," Cable asked seeing Dani and the others growing impatient.

"The reason you couldn't find me was that I was sent into the future, but an alternate future. When I arrived I was missing my arm and legs, which must have been left behind," Hope said confirming what Cable had found and took it as her demise. Hope looked up at Cable and continued.

"The world I landed in was just as bad as the one you had always described of your future. There was a huge battle going on and I was lying there, bleeding out and near death when I felt someone near me. That is when I met the first of my Lights, Serenity. She came up to me and I felt a strange pull to her. The minute she touched me, something ignited in me and with a surge of light, I awakened something in her. It was seconds after that she touched my body and my wounds began to heal and then I mimicked her powers and my limb regenerated and I was completely healed.

"It was made clear, later after I had meet the other Lights, that I had the ability to jump start a person's mutant ability and bring it to full light. Not only did they have their full abilities but it seemed to create a bond between us. After my recovery, Kim told me about Magnetic Storm, an evil woman with great power that has laid waste in her quest for world domination. No one knew how old she was as her powers somehow slowed down her aging almost to nothing. I spent the next few years fighting and trying to form a huge resistance.

"It was a few years later when you, Cable arrived. It was a great but quick reunion as Magnetic Storm and her mutant forces were stronger than ever before. With your help, I had formed the Lights and together we created a grand resistance. We battled for years making a difference but it didn't seem to be enough. With your knowledge we learned Magnetic Storm was the daughter of Storm and Magneto from this timeline. We had just mastered the ability to open a time portal back when Magnetic Storm arrived and killed you. We managed to time jump and arrived here with your instructions to kill Storm before she gave birth at all costs," Hope Summers said completing the story.

"You won't even live to see tomorrow if you even think of harming my child," Magneto said.

"I couldn't agree with you more," a voice said from above an electrical wave of energy blew everyone away, except Storm, Magneto, Leech and the Lights.

"She's followed us," Zero said as they all looked up to see a woman wearing purple and red, futuristic armor and a crown similar to Magneto's helmet but it left her face wide open to see her caramel skin and traces of her platinum white hair underneath.

"After the humans killed my parents, I never thought I would ever see them. This is a moment I will cherish and owe thanks to you Mimicry," Magnetic Storm said as power lit up her eyes.

"Can we kill them now?" One of the five figures floating behind Magnetic Storm wearing red and purple outfits that covered their whole bodies asked.

"No one is killing," Cable began to ask when he was suddenly shot backwards like a bullet through the mansion with just a flick of Magnetic Storms wrist.

"I killed you once, I'll kill you again, but first," Magnetic Storm said as she closed her fists causing all of Wiz Kid's devices to explode as they crushed inwards.

With a nod form Magnetic Storm, one of her minions released a power blast that send Leech across the lawn. Magnetic Storm smiled as the moment the dampening field shut off she rose her arms into the air. Faster than Storm had ever performed, black clouds formed from nothing and thunder boomed as electricity crackled around Magnetic Storm as dozens of bolts of lightening shot down and obliterated the ground where the Lights had stood. When the smoke cleared, it appeared all the Lights had jumped clear accept Mimicry and Zero who stood on the fried ground under a protective shield that Hope had managed to borrow and throw up at the last second.

"Takes more than that to kill me," Mimicry said as she felt a light pass from Storm to her as she sent lightening struck the attackers sending them all flying in all directions.

"What do we do? Who do we stop?" The Cuckoos asked in unison to Jean as both parties before them needed to be stopped for different reasons.

"I will not stop till she is dead, to save our world," Mimicry said as she reached out her hand and Storm began to choke from a tek force grabbing and squeezing her neck.

"All of you will stop. I will not let anyone kill anyone," Dani said as they began to gather the others into action.

"And I won't rest until Cable and the Lights are dead. I will do anything to save my parents, even if it means killing anyone who gets in my way of this or poses a threat to them," Magnetic Storm said as she unleashed her powers causing one bolt of lightening to head for Mimicry while several huge tornados where born from the heavens and headed straight down towards Dani and the other mutants.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**The Hunt for Weapon XX – Part Five**

"How are we going to get out of here?" Callisto asked as she looked from Xi'an to the spot where the portal had closed but not before Xi'an's uncle had gone through.

"Pixie, really going to need your ability to teleport," Surge said as they heard timer getting closer to detonation.

"I don't know if I can do it on this scale, let alone under pressure," Pixie mumbled as she closed her eyes and began to concentrate in a worried panic.

"Don't worry, you can do it, but we'll have to get everyone much closer," Xi'an said as she would attempt to use her powers to mentally connect to everyone to assist Pixie in establishing a bond, but made it hard since she had extended a part of her mental self to grant sight and sound to the one called Face.

"Easier said than done," Beak said as he hoards of demons kept coming and coming at them, driving the team apart as they continued to fight for their lives.

"Good thing we have a fail safe," Toko said as she pulled out a devise, activated it and stabbed it directly into Timothy's chest.

"Why?" Was all Timothy got out as Toko created a force field completely around him just before the devise went off and his powers erupted and he completely exploded in a ball of thermo-chemical energy.

"What did you do?" Shauna asked as she looked at a strange glowing energy inside the force field where Timothy had been.

"Got us a way home," Toko said as she removed her force field to reveal a portal where their former teammate had once been standing. "It won't stay open long hurry."

"They're getting away," Callisto said as the Secret Mutants looked over to see all the Inferno Brigade getting ready to step into the portal.

"Face," Toko said as she turned toward her teammate and _brother_.

"He doesn't want to go with you," Xi'an said.

"You don't speak for," was all Toko got out before Predator X shot out its tail, piercing all eight members trough the chest like skewer.

"No!" Xi'an screamed, not knowing if it was her voice or Face's voice channeling through her as Face stood straight up and unleashed his power with full anger and force causing a beam of energy to shoot out and hit Predator X evaporating it into nothing while severing it's tail causing the Inferno Brigade to all fall forward into the portal just as it closed.

"Great, all the bad guys get away and we're the ones who get stuck here and die," Medusa said with despair as the countdown was seconds away from sealing their doom.

"At least we brought down Weapon XX," Surge said she released an electrical blast to push back more attacking demons.

"Well a part of it anyway," Xi'an said as she heard Bart say in her mind, "_the part that took Luna from you, that's got to count more than anything," _and then place a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"Well, the Secret Mutants was fun while it lasted," Hellion said as he though up a shield that stopped a huge blast of demon fire from raining down on them as he looked over and saw the countdown of the devise was about to detonate.

"Not if I can help it. Xanth Semaj!" Pixie screamed as a powerful energy erupted from her at the same time the devise went off that would cause the pocket of Limbo they were all in to close in on itself, killing everything that remained behind.

"_Wake up child, I don't have a lot of time and neither do your friends," a strange female voice said. _

"_Where am I? Am I dead?" Pixie asked as she opened her eyes and looked around to see that she was standing in some kind of glittery void with a tall glistening white skinned woman with pointed ears with dark pink hair tied up in a bun with small traces of white in it and beautiful sparkling blue eyes. _

"_We don't have time for explanations. I have used a lot of energy appear here and slow time," the woman said as Pixie looked closer and saw past the glowing void she could see her friends, demons and starting stages of an explosion all in still motion, as if they were all almost frozen in time. _

"_Who are you?" Pixie asked in a confused panic. _

"_Someone who doesn't want to see you dead. Now, it seems your father's tainted mutant gene has been erased from your body so your natural magical abilities can develop and take flight. Now, we have to move fast. I will harness what magic I can to enhance yours as I did to get you to invoke your spell," the woman said as Pixie realized that the glittery void was generating from and was a part of this woman's large and fully expanded rainbow shimmering wings. _

"_You're the one that has been whispering in my ear when I try to do my magic," Pixie said in awe. _

"_I must go, my power is beginning to waver. When I vanish, my power will flow into you, then cast your spell which will ignite these and you will have to send them at your friends instantly to port them away because once I am gone you will have two seconds before this glittering orb you stand in ports you out of here and the explosion incinerates everything in site," the woman said as she opened her hand, blew into it like a kiss sending several orbs at Pixie. _

"_Wait, there isn't enough orbs for everyone," Pixie said in a panic when she caught the orbs and quickly counted them. _

"_Then you better choose wisely, because that's all I have to spare at the moment," the woman said as she then whipped out her hands and invoked a word. _

"_Wait," Pixie began to plead but stopped when the woman vanished and she was hit with a burst of power. _

_Pixie felt the power in her start to flow into the orbs as the glittering void around her shrank and the outside scene sped up. She cried as she looked at the too few orbs but then paused and then knew what she had to do. She found a spell in her mind, invoked it and then threw the orbs out at her friends just as everything went white as she was teleported away. _

"Megan! Wake up!" A voice screamed at Pixie as her vision began to come back to her.

Pixie sat up and rubbed her throbbing temples. Had it been a dream? If it wasn't who had that woman been? Pixie didn't have time to ponder too hard when she finally remembered the spell to escape and quickly looked to see who had yelled at her. It was Dryad hovering over her in worry and concern. She got to her feet and looked around to see that it was her, Dryad and Beak standing in a large meadow with grass almost up to their waist and a slight cool breeze making the heat from the seven suns above them in the purple sky tolerable.

"Where are we?" Pixie asked.

"We were going to ask you the same thing," Beak said as he kept his gun ready and continuously scanning the area.

"Where are the others?" Dryad asked.

"You mean they're not here?" Pixie asked as she frantically lifted herself into the air to see nothing for miles except a forest to her right, mountains to the north, a large body of silver looking water to the left and what looked like a dark foggy area off to the far south.

"No, please tell me you managed to save them all," Dryad said, fearing for her friends and teammates.

"I don't know. I only had so much time and tried doing what I could to save everyone," Pixie cried as she told them about the strange fairy lady and the limited orbs.

"Maybe they are here somewhere. None of us landed here in the same place. I stumbled upon Dryad in the forest and we headed this way and found you," Beak said, trying to sound positive since he knew from his experience with the Exiles that world hopping was unpredictable.

"Were do you think here is?" Dryad asked looking around and feeling a strange tingling connection with the plant life around her.

"Maybe it's the home of that lady who tried to help you?" Beak added as they both looked at Pixie.

"I don't know," Pixie said as she sat down and then passed out from exhaustion.

**Next: Issue #55 – The Lights – Part Three & Secret Mutants: The Guthrie Clan**


	56. The Lights Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #55 – The Lights – Part Three**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants**_

_**Outside Grounds**_

"Enough!" Storm screamed as she unleashed her powers causing the tornados to fade before hitting the ground and the lightening bolts to move enough to miss their intended marks.

"Mother, you would help those that try to me us?" Magnetic Storm asked in surprise as he stared at his mother.

"Do we even know if this is really our child?" Magneto asked as he stood by Storm.

"Hard to explain, but I can feel she is my child," Storm said as she stared the woman in the eyes.

"This ends," Zero said as the tendrils he was secretly growing form his arms lashed out and pierced the heads of all of Magnetic Storm's soldiers and rendering them brain dead instantly.

"No!" Magnetic Storm screamed as she lashed out with her powers sending the Light up in the air with a strong wind and allowing him to rain down in ashes after an electrical storm struck him with severity.

"Light, attack!" Mimicry said as she and her lights went into action.

Transonic was almost near Storm when Cannonball shot out of nowhere and hit the blue skinned Light taking them both away from the battlefield. Primal collided with Cable as Sway and the Jean Grey neutralized Velocidad. Oya quickly erupted an intense wall of fire around her, Mimicry, Serenity, Storm, Magnetic Storm and Magneto. Magnetic Storm reached out her hand and prepared to attack when she suddenly felt dizzy and began to sway. The fire wall vanished as everyone turned to see the future child of Ororo and Erik screaming in pain and was starting to go translucent.

"Don't any one move a single muscle. I have a hold on the babies mind in Storm's belly. If anyone so much as moves against me or hurts my Lights, physically or mentally I will kill it," Mimicry said as she stood there with her arm reached out towards Storm.

"It's true, she's borrowed another power and I can sense it locked around the baby," Jean said as Cable still held a gun to the pinned Primal's head and the other Lights, minus Serenity and Mimicry where held in similar death holds.

"No, please don't kill my child," Storm cried as she knelt down and clutched her pushed out belly.

"So help me child if you," Erik began to say when Magnetic Storm's screamed caused him to stop and look at the woman who was fading away slowing.

"Hope, stop," Cable pleaded as he stared at the girl he had adopted so long ago, also knowing that if he had sent her back to do this then it was important.

"I can take her," Tosha said as she saw the conflict in her father's eyes as she watched and mapped her attack.

"I wouldn't if I was you," Mimicry said as she squeezed her hand causing both Storm and Magnetic Storm to scream louder.

"If what you're doing is so just, then why haven't you done it already?" Storm asked through her pain, trying to reach out to the clouds above, planning her attack to save her child.

"Because she knows killing is baby is wrong and there is tremendous good my granddaughter," Jean said as she could feel the conflict in her mind now that she was face to face with an unborn child.

"Hope, this is wrong," Serenity suddenly said to her best friend.

"Enough," Magneto said as a metal pole plunged into Mimicry's leg.

Mimicry screamed and lashed out. Storm hurled over in pain as Magnetic Storm vanished from site. With the death of her unborn child, Storm lashed out with the power she was building and sent lightening down that each of the remaining Lights frying them. Cable flew back as he watched Primal burn form the strike and then looked over at Mimicry who was lying on the ground in pain, the only one left of her team that was alive. Magneto went to move against her but Cable instinctively came to her defense and was thrown to the ground, in pain as Magneto began to crush him. Mimicry looked to her father and then to Storm and began to cry.

"No, I didn't mean to do it. It wasn't supposed to go like this," Mimicry said as Dani approached her.

"And it still doesn't," Dani said as she waved her hand and the illusion vanished and she saw that everyone, including the Lights, her father and Magnetic Storm were okay, but she as still locking onto the baby.

"Wow, she's more powerful than I thought," Sam said as Teresa stepped up behind Sam feeling a twinge of jealousy.

"I don't know what to do. You said I had to do this to save our future," Hope said turning to Cable who was now being guarded by Tosha.

"We can work this out. No one has to kill anyone," Cable said as Hope dropped her hand and allowed her father to embrace her.

"We can't let her get away with this," Magneto began to say when Storm screamed.

"Something's wrong," Storm said as she felt her belly.

"I did," Mimicry said as they all saw Magnetic Storm continuing to fade away.

"The baby, it's," the Cuckoos began to say when Jean silenced them.

"No," Storm cried as Magneto dropped to her side to hold and rock her.

"Allow me," Serenity said as she knelt down and placed her hand on Storm's belly and a strange light engulfed her, Storm, Magneto and the baby inside.

"Did you?" Storm asked as she suddenly felt the baby kick.

"Yes, and now you will die," Magnetic Storm said as the heavens erupted with an oncoming storm.

"Ahhhh!" Storm suddenly screamed.

"Ororo?" Erik asked as he looked at her in panic.

"I thought you saved it?" Cable asked.

"I did," Serenity replied.

"No, my water broke, the baby's coming," Storm grunted as lightening started to strike.

"Enough!" Magneto said as he suddenly turned as Magnetic Storm was slammed to the ground.

"Get her into the infirmary," Dani commanded as she, Jean and many others rushed Storm into the mansion.

"We can't let this happen," Primal said with a vicious growl.

"And I won't let you kill my daughter, either of them," Erik said as he stared at everyone.

"Then I have a compromise," Cable said as he pulled a devise from his belt.

"On it," Tosha said as he used her power to send the devise strait at Magnetic Storm, plunge it into her leg and activate causing her to vanish.

"What did you do?" Erik asked as he reached out and slammed Cable to the ground.

"I sent her back to the future," Cable said as he had sacrificed his only means of ever time traveling again for the foreseeable future.

"You have ruined all we, you have established," Velocidad turned on Cable.

"I didn't send her to your future, I sent her to another future," Cable said assuring she was well alive.

"But that still doesn't prevent the evil she has done or that baby in there will do," Transonic said to Mimicry.

"I will not let you harm my baby," Erik said as he released Cable and faced the Lights.

"I see Cable's wisdom. With Magnetic Storm in a different future, you guys can go back and help rebuild or thrive in a better future I succeed here," Mimicry said as they all turned to face their leader.

"What are you talking about?" Serenity asked.

"We need to protect our future but we also can't kill a child in cold blood. That would make us no better than Magnetic Storm. I will use this Cable gave me a long time ago to send you all back while I stay here and watch over the baby and help ensure it grows up on the side of good," Mimicry said looking at both Cable and Magneto.

"I don't know," Magneto said glaring at the red headed girl.

"I think you all should go back, we can watch the baby without you all," Tosha added in.

"Actually, I think that is a good plan, Hope. No harm will come to the baby, Erik," Cable said.

"Fine, but if you do anything harmful to my child I will kill you myself," Magneto said as he raced off into the mansion as he heard the labor screams and rolling thunder of Storm giving birth.

"We will miss you," The Lights said as they all hugged Hope and then stood together.

"Good luck," Hope said as she pulled out a devise and pointed it at the Lights and sends a beam of energy at them.

"Kim!" Oya screamed as Kim leapt out of the way at the last second and waved as Transonic, Primal, Velocidad and Oya vanished from sight.

"What are you doing? There is no energy left. I can never send you back," Hope said as Kim got to her feet.

"That's fine, I would never leave my best friend alone in a strange new place," Serenity said as she walked over and locked her arm in Hope's arm.

_**Epilogue**_

"How's it going?" Dani asked as Sam walked up behind her.

"Cable and Jean have Hope and Serenity settled in. It's going to take a lot of work to trust them," Sam said as he stared at the window that looked down into the medical room below.

"Everyone deserves a chance, hell look at Erik. Anyway, I think someone with Hope's and even Serenity's powers will be helpful," Dani said as she saw Ororo holding a baby in her arms with Erik looking over both of them.

"Was it a girl?" Sam asked.

"Yes, and they named her N'dare Rosa, after both their mothers," Dani said with a smile.

"Wait, from what Hope said, that's not Magnetic Storm's real name," Sam commented.

"Yeah, they figure maybe to help prevent this baby to be the same they would start by not giving her the same name," Dani responded.

"Unless this isn't the baby they both have that is destined to be evil," Sam added as they both looked at each other and then back into the room holding the newly happy family.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**The Guthrie Clan**

"Hi, mom," Sam said as he kissed the woman who he had found out was not his real mom but more of an adopted mom in the new life he had been inserted into many years ago.

"I'm glad you agreed to meet. I know there is a lot going on but you're not the only ones affected by the information of you being inserted into our lives," Lucinda said touching her son's face as her hand shook a little.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked feeling guilty as he knew he could have made more of an effort to sit down and talk with his siblings.

"It seems, shortly after we all came to terms with your newly discovered past life and that you were actually inserted into our lives something happened to all of us. We all have conflicting memories of you in our lives and not in our lives," Lucinda said.

"I didn't realize it would happen to all of you as well. Man, what they must all be going through, especially the younger ones," Sam said as he glanced toward the training room his mom asked him to meet at.

"Well, they are coping, thanks to the help of Jean and the Cuckoos, they are able to keep the conflicting memories manageable," Lucinda said.

"There's something else you're not saying. I may not be your real son but I still know you," Sam said looking at his mom.

"I will always be your real mom, no one will ever take that form me, you hear me boy? Now, as for what else is going on, I'll let them tell you," Lucinda said as Sam went into the training room alone to meet the Guthrie Clan.

"Sam!" Cleo Guthrie, the youngest of the siblings screamed and ran into her eldest brother's arms.

"Look whose decided to grace us with his presence," Elizabeth said with nodding comments from Jebidiah as well.

"Hey guys, he's been pretty busy with everything that's been going on and despite recent events having to continue running this school," Jay Guthrie, the ever peaceful keeping on said as he sat in the corner across from everyone.

"Well, some of us know where our priorities are. I even gave up my spot on my former team to be here for my family," Paige Guthrie threw in to the conversation.

Sam just looked at all of them and smiled. There was Paige Guthrie who went by the codename Husk who could shed her skin to take on a different _skin_. Next was his brother Joshua who went by Jay and took the codename Icarus when he sprouted red wings and developed a great singing voice. Then there was his sister Joelle who had been upset because she had become a mutant and her siblings had until they realized she had a mutant ability to mask herself and took the codename Blindspot. Besides Paige, the one other sister that could give Sam a run for his money was Elizabeth. She could grow in size and strength and took the name Giantess. That took care of the older of the Clan but then there were the last five that had all developed powers as well.

Melody developed the ability to generate an aura around herself and fly and took the codename Aura. Next in line was his brother Jeb Guthrie who shot blue electrical energy and took the name Blue Fire. Then there were the twins, Lewis and Lea. Sam thought they had lucked out not having powers but was proven wrong when it was discovered they could generate and shot a force blast off when they touched hands. Finally Sam rested his eyes on the youngest of the Guthrie Clan, Cleo, who he continued to hug in his arms. As young as she was, she had already developed a mutant power. She could become shadow like and allow things to pass through her and if she was against a wall act as a doorway. She chose her own codename too, Shadowess. Blood or not, they would always be his family.

"So what is this news mom is hiding and needed me here?" Sam began to ask when he stopped and suddenly noticed Icarus was missing his wings.

"Despite our sharing two sets of memories, it seems when the effect of Moira's powers reverted on us it seemed to alter our powers as well," Paige answered.

"It did?" Sam asked knowing how he and his Secret Mutants had been altered physically and power wise when the effects of Moira's powers on them reverted.

"Yes, it seems since in your true, Secret Mutant reality we were given powers from exposure to something created from the Summers Genetic Energy Code instead of Dad's exposure to radiation in the mines most our powers have altered, some more than others," Icarus said when suddenly wings made of red energy sprouted from his back.

"Jeb, your wings," was all Sam could say.

"At least they are easier to hide," Jeb shrugged.

Sam couldn't believe it. As they each spoke and demonstrated Sam also read the scan data Husk had provided him detailing their powers. It seemed all of their powers were now energy based, like the Summers Bloodline, his other family. Icarus' wings were now made of energy and it seemed that his singing voice was a result of changing the energy frequency which Sam saw potential for not only singing good but actually altering his voice to sound like others or even have effects like Banshee. Elizabeth stayed the same, growing big and strong but is now based on absorbing energy and using it to increase her mass and then releasing it to go back to normal size.

Husk it appears can shed her skin but only turns into different forms of energy. Joelle blocks and repels energy away from her that can make her invisible and undetectable. With a little training she could actually repel things like energy blasts away from her, almost like a force field. Melody could still fly and still generated different colored energy auras around herself. There was still some testing to be done because it wasn't too clear what she could all do now. Jeb's powers seemed to stay the same, but instead of blue electrical energy shooting from his eye he could channel it from his hands and body as well. The twin's powers have remained the same as did Cleo's, except hers work in a slightly different fashion. Sam knew he would have to devote extra time to them as a trainer as well as a brother.

"I am sorry if I haven't' been here for you, but please know, that you will always be my family and I will always be here for you," Sam said as they all dog piled him in a huge family hug.

"That's my kids," Lucinda said with a smile as she watched from outside the room.

**Next: Issue #56 – Fire Rising – Part One & Secret Mutants: Fantasia – Part One**

**_Authors Note: Check out Avengers Inc: The Doominators Issue 1 posted now. Out of the pages of Avengers Inc and introduced in Avengers Inc #7, The Doominators is a mini-series that not only serves as an origin of Dr. Doom's newly created team of villains from heroes but serves as a prologue to my title wide crossover happening next year: THE ACTS OF DOOM. Check it out and enjoy!_**


	57. Fire Rising Part One

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #56 – Fire Rising – Part One**

**_Kenya_****_, Africa_**

**_Top of Mt. Kirinyaga_**

"Ororo, you look beautiful," Amara said as she looked at the woman in a very extravagant white wedding dress.

"Thank you, my sister," Ororo Monroe said with a smile that brought tears to both their eyes.

Jean Grey looked at the two smiled as well. A lot had changed and been revealed since she had been supposedly killed, retrieved from the time stream and brought back. With being thought dead, Scott had moved on and was now married with a new family. Now that Jean was back, she had absolved their marriage and took back her maiden name. Along with the changes was Amara, who thanks to Moira's powers being broken had reverted back to her original self, Storm's relative. When she looked at Magma, she saw Amara but back to get used to her now being African American and looking more like Ororo and thanks to the ritual they had preformed moments before, Ororo and Amara were now considered sisters on all levels.

"You such a sweet baby," Oro, Storm and Magma's grandmother whispered as she sat in a chair and rocked the newest member of their family, N'dare Rosa Eisenhardt.

"I still don't know why you want to marry that man," Wanda Harkness, former Scarlet Witch now turned White Witch Mistress X said as she glanced down and couldn't help but smile at her new little sister.

Wanda was only one of many that didn't trust Magneto, even if he was her own father, and didn't fully approve of Storm agreeing to marry him. Storm vouched for him and said he had changed and they had grown very close, obviously, while they had been stranded in space. ****Issues of Sensational X-Men** **Not really caring about anyone's acceptance but Ororo, Erik had made a gesture to show her and anyone else he had changed and loved Storm. After the baby had been born Erik had officially purposed, and when Ororo said yes he had decided to honor his roots and showed his vow to be a better man and changed his last name back to Eisenhardt and gave it to his new daughter as well. They had then agreed to not wait and to get married right away.

With Oro's approval, they had agreed to get married where Storm was from at the top of the mountain where the grandmother would perform the ceremony. Because of the mixed emotions and not wanting a lot of drama, they had decided to keep it small and personal. Of course Amara was the maid of honor, being her sister and next to Oro and little N'dare, the only family she had left. Storm never really had a best friend but Jean, Rouge and Logan were the only three that came close enough to fill that title, Colossus and Kitty came a close runner ups. Jean agreed right away to be a bridesmaid while Rouge and Logan were both off planet, as well as Piotr. Kitty didn't like the idea of this wedding, but was still happy to stand up for Ororo.

As for Erik, with his current desire to build a new future wanted his family there as well but was too proud and stubborn to ask his family, so Ororo had done it for him. She started with Wanda and after a long night of chatting and wine, Wanda agreed to attend and be a bridesmaid. Of course, Erik's eldest daughter, Magnetrix was too evil and at large to even think about inviting so she didn't give it a second thought but to make sure this wedding stayed secret and hidden from outsiders like her. His other daughter, Lorna was also in space with the other X-Men chasing after a bunch of villains, Professor X and Mystique's babies kidnapped by Apocalypse, one of them being Erik's son. ****See Sensational X-Men****

As for his other son, Wanda's brother, Pietro Maximoff, took a lot of convincing and help from her niece Luna to convince him to not only show but act as best man. If that wasn't enough to bring hidden tears to Erik's eyes, Wanda had supplied three more to stand up for him as groomsmen, his grandsons, and Wanda's children. It seemed weird but it also acted as more of a bonding moment for her and for them. Her eldest Wade, her son from Electro and her two twins from Vision, Wiccan and Speed. ****See Salem-X and Young Avengers Back Up Stories for more on them**** Even though they were older than most Ring Barriers and Flower Girls, they had persuaded Amelia Voght to lit her and Erik's son Jerrod to carry the rings and Pietro and Crystal to allow Erik's granddaughter to throw the flowers. She had also brought Charles Lehnsherr, a member of Salem-X and the son of Magneto and Rouge of another reality, but because of the awkwardness of that, he just wanted to be a guest.

Because of wanted to keep it small and hidden, and of course the many mixed feelings there were not that many quests outside waiting out in the nice mountain air, and very comfortable thanks to Wanda and Storm's powers. Sitting with Charles was his guardian, Blink who would not leave his side as well as her son's boyfriend, Teddy. She didn't know what shocked people more, that he was her long lost thought dead son or that he was now openly gay. Wanda didn't care, she was proud of both, but what made her smile is how shocked they would be if they new both her twin's and Teddy were part of a secret group called the Young Avengers that she also kept secret tabs on.

Also there as guests was Crystal, to keep an eye on her daughter in the presence of Magneto as well Dane Whitman. Wanda had heard rumor Crystal had moved on but now she knew with who, which tugged at her a little. Invitations didn't go out to Avengers or any of the other super hero community because of keeping this low key but there were a few invited. Janet, the Wasp was here because she had designed Ororo's dress and had brought her fiancé Hank since their wedding wouldn't be too far off. Also, Sue and Reed Richards and T'Challa, the Black Panther was there as a representative of Ororo's old childhood friend and love that hadn't meant to be. He had brought his sister too, as well as body guards hidden everywhere. Wanda smiled because a man, who knows all, didn't know his sister was on the same team as her sons

Rounding out the guest list was Nightcrawler, Sunfire and Psylocke who had come with Kitty and from the Mansion was Cannonball, Dani was going to come but decided one of them needed to remain behind to watch the school, but that may have had more to do with Sam bringing Theresa. Cable wanted to come but with all that had recently happened, he decided it was best not to come. Also from the School sitting with Amelia Voght was Jubilee and Bishop who brought his sister Shard. Most believed the siblings from the future were there for added security but there were there for reasons that another strange mutant was there, Gateway, who was sitting alone off in the distance on a rock.

Storm didn't know a lot about the man named Gateway or his past. What she did know was that he has always been there to help her and her team and despite trying to get more info and failing, had always been a dear close friend of her grandmother, Oro. All her grandmother would say was that she trusted him with her life and her family. So, Storm thought of him as a grandfather. When she had Bishop had lead there own team of X-Men a long time ago, Gateway had revealed to them that he was the ancestor of Bishop and his sister Shard. To Storm, that was enough to officially consider Bishop family, but there was one more connection that she had learned that very few knew about. Bishop and Shard had been adopted in the future by a woman that they called Grandmother. It appears, if it could be actually believed, in that future, Storm had been that woman so that would make her Bishop and Shard's "grandmother".

"Because I love him," was all Storm said to Wanda's question.

"As long as he treats you right is all I care about," Wasp said as she flew out of Storm's hair, growing big after doing the final touches of the flowers in her hair.

"I agree, and he will," Oro said as she continued to rock the baby.

"Then let's get out there," Jean said as they all took a moment to take the beauty of Storm in.

**_Xavier's School for Gifted Students_**

**_Outside Grounds_**

"Here is the spot," Emma the White Queen said as she and stood over a spot where it appeared to be nothing other than a patch of beautiful red roses.

"Are you sure?" Cordelia the Blue Queen asked as she moved in her skimpy blue outfit that matched her blue eye shadow and lipstick.

"She better be, since my return of going from psionic energy to a physical form, I have nowhere near the power I once had," Madelyn the Red Queen said wondering why she agreed to all four women wearing matching outfits except each in their respective colors.

"Why do you think we are all doing this? After what I've been through with X-Calibur I am reduced in power as well," Selene, the Black Queen added as all four women now stood over the area.

"Trust me, this is the spot and thanks to my person on the inside, we will not be detected out here by their security as well as Cordelia using her gifts to freeze out psi detection around us," Emma responded thankful that her sister's ability to be immune to all mental powers could push that out into a field around her to include others near her, but in return it nullified or froze the psi abilities of anyone inside the bubble as well.

"Trust, what an intriguing concept," Selene muttered as she hated feeling mentally naked.

"So, explain this to me again," Madelyn asked as she watched the diamond sharp form of Emma Frost start slicing and digging into the ground. Without her ability to use her mental powers, she couldn't maintain a nice diamond form and had to be in the very dangerous, jagged and sharp form she had been mutated to thanks to Apocalypse.

"My plan is slightly different than once informed to you, thanks to getting all my information and sorting it out. There were twenty totems of power that were connected to a Celestia which gave twenty mutants great power into their bloodlines. First, the Totem of the Phoenix had been destroyed ****Way back in X-Calibur** and then after the battle with the Celestia, the Totems along with the connections to the bloodlines were destroyed and severed. We still have our abilities and can pass them down but will never be the Super Omega potential the Totems could have given. ****See X-Men: GenetiX series****

"We can bring back the Totems and ignite that power once again, but we can only do that with the fire rising from the ashes, the Totem of the Phoenix. The body of the woman buried here is a Jean Grey from another reality, so a version of that power is still within her. We will use that as an anchor to absorb the Phoenix Force that was split out from the original and pull it back into the body. We will then sacrifice the blood of the Phoenix Bloodline in from that fire will arise out a new Totem of power, and with this Totem we can begin to recreate the other Totems," Emma said as she finally got to the body Scott had secretly hidden and opened to reveal a decaying corpse inside.

"That is gross," Blue Queen said as she held her nose and tried to keep from throwing up.

"Okay, once I give the command, Cordelia will drop her field, Madelyn I need you to quickly pick us all up and carry us out of here before we are detected," Emma said as she and Selene tried lifting the coffin with the dead body of Jean Grey from another reality out of the hole.

"What is going on here?" Dust asked as she and Spike, who had snuck out to get to know each other more, stepped out of the shadows just as Cordelia dropped her field.

"Got it," Selene smiled as she moved fast and grabbed both young mutants by the throats and began to drain their life forces.

"We have to get out of here now," Emma warned as she saw Dust suddenly burst into dust and ashes and the other boy shriveling up ready to become dust himself.

"On it," Madelyn said as she grabbed Selene, causing her to drop the boy and then lifted them all and the dead Jean Grey into the air and in a streak of fire left the premises.

"Bodies fall into ashes and from the fire rises the Phoenix," Blindfold said as Preview began to scream causing Dani and the others in the room to turn and stare at the two precogs in shock.

* * *

**_The Secret Mutants_**

**Fantasia – Part One**

"So why are we going this way?" Beak asked as they continued to walk through the waist high grass towards the silver body of water.

"The sensation I get from the plant life, that water is safe and we can drink from it," Dryad responded since it seemed that after Predator X had made her go Omega she could not only control plants but could somehow communicate with them in a way.

"And maybe the others headed this way too for that very same reason," Pixie added as she thought of the others hoping they all survived.

After about an hour of walking the grass began to become shorter and shorter until they were now walking upon a beach made of golden sand. The tolerable heat changed as the breeze felt warmer and the beach below their feet seemed to absorb and generate the heat back up on them. Now more then ever they craved the taste and coolness of the water before them. They all broke into a run and were soon standing in the surprisingly cool silver water.

"How do we know it's safe to drink?" Pixie asked thinking of the dangers of drinking from oceans or lakes back home.

"It's as clean as tap water," Beak said as he ran his scanner over the water.

"Great," Pixie said as she began to cup her hands down and bring it to her lips.

"I can't believe how good it tastes," Dryad said as she began to drink it faster and faster.

"Stop, don't drink the water," Erg said as he came running up to them waving.

"Why?" Pixie asked as she turned and saw Dryad and Beak had turned silver and were as still as statues.

"The water has some kind of strange effect," Erg began to say and stopped when he saw he was too late.

"Wait, I drank the water why didn't it change me?" Pixie asked as a strange sound and bubbling form the water caused her to leap back onto the hot beach.

Suddenly what looked like a huge silver octopus with a dozen tentacles rose from the water grabbing Dryad and Beak. Tentacles came towards Pixie but she magically called on her wings and she took to the air out of reach. Erg had battled this thing earlier so had spent a lot of his stored energy. He figured he had enough left for one shot and had to make it count. Instead of his eye patch, he focused the energy through his new chest plate and hit the creature in the head causing it to drop the two paralyzed Secret Mutants and sink back into the water. Erg shouted at Pixie and they each grabbed a mutant and dragged them far enough on the beach so they couldn't be reached by the tentacles.

"We should be far enough, but I don't want to take any chances if that thing comes back. We should head back towards the meadow," Erg said as he tried to catch his breath.

"What are those things and what did they do to my friends?" Pixie asked as she stared at the silver colored mutants who were as still as statues but she noticed them taking breaths and their eyes looked like they were alert.

"The effects should wear off by sunsdown. That thing is a Decazoid. It secrets a substance into the water that gives is a silver hue and if too much is consumed causes its prey to become paralyzed for a time," a voice answered behind them.

Pixie and Erg turned to see a short man sitting on a large rock made of sand. At least they thought it was a man till they realized from the waist down was covered in fur and he had two legs that looked like deer legs with hooves. The waist up was flesh with some hair on his chest and a goatee with bushy curly hair that almost hid his pointed hears. He had very deep green eyes that, along with his smooth skin and face looked to be in his early twenties. He was chewing on a blade of grass and smiling. He soon leapt off the rock and they noticed we were maybe five feet tall. He came towards them walking slowly on his two hoofed feet.

"As for you, my dear are a special Fae and immune to your aunt's guardians of the water," the creature said as everyone went from staring at him to the girl with pink hair.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a real fairy," Pixie said nervously.

"You may no longer have pointed ears and have altered your hair color back to pink but I can smell Fae anywhere," the half man half animal laughed.

"Who are you? And where are we?" Erg asked.

"I am Thison, guide and watcher of the Fae. You are all in the dimension called Fantasia on the world of Bergonia," Thison answered.

"Fantasia, isn't that a Disney movie?" Pixie asked thinking she must be dreaming.

"Oh, Walt Disney, one of the few Fae to leave this world and survive making a home in your world amongst the humans. Too bad his exile lead to his assassination for using his magic to bring stories, some based on our lands to your people. I heard his magic and legacy still lives on," Thison said with a smirk.

"So much is going through my head. It's hard to believe," Pixie murmured as she touched her forehead.

"How did you come to Fantasia? Great barriers have been put in place to keep any being from leaving here or coming here?" Thison asked with a raised eyebrow.

"We were in some pocket world of Limbo and before it closed in on itself, a strange woman appeared to me and leant me her magic to escape and we ended up here," Pixie said and then turned to Erg, "Do you know if anyone else survived?"

"I know me and three others did. Just as an orb came at me, some kind of magic caused Electric Eve, Mercury and Rockslide to shift in their forms and absorb into me. Just as the orb swallowed me and brought me here, I witnessed that dimension explode with no orb near Ent at all. Sorry to say, he didn't make it for sure," Erg said.

"What about the three you absorbed?" Pixie asked.

"As soon as we landed here on this beach, they shot out of my chest piece. Unfortunately, they drank from the water and were taken away by that creature," Erg said with sadness in his voice.

"Where did that creature take them?" Pixie asked turning on their new friend.

"I imagine deep down into the depths of Terwa where the Queen of the Water Fae rules. It will be dark soon and we will want to be back in neutral territory before the suns go down and Queen Retaw finds out there are more of you and you escaped her guardians," Thison said as he started to walk towards the meadow Pixie had come from.

"What about my friends?" Pixie asked.

"Well, the once in the water are probably lost as for these, pick them up and bring them unless you want to leave them here and risk them being taken," Thison said as he had a head start back.

"My home is here," Thison said after Pixie and Erg manage to pick up Beak and Dryad and make it back to the waist high grass.

"Here, in all this grass?" Erg asked looking around.

"No, here," Thison said as the grass seemed to grow much taller in one spot, merge together and made what looked like a door.

Before Pixie could comment, Thison walked up to the tall grass and touched the door and the big grass blade-door swung in and gave view to what looked like a living room with a burning fire. Thison stepped through and they followed. As they entered, the door closed and they were standing in what was a one room living quarter with a fireplace, sitting area, sleeping area and what looked like a mini kitchen area. They placed their friends down upon the bed made of grass and then sat on the floor near the fire.

"Can you now explain more on where we are?" Pixie asked as the thoughts of the woman who saved her, being called a Fae and something about her aunt being the Queen of the Water Fae.

"Let's wait till your friends come too so I don't have to repeat myself," Thison said as he went to his kitchen area and began to prepare something that looked like a mix of grass and berries.

"Where are we?" Dryad asked as she and Beak returned to normal colors and were able to move again.

"Fantasia," Pixie said and quickly brought them up to speed before they freaked out too much.

"You may not be Fae, but I can smell a real connection to the Earth on you," Thison said as he handed a bowl of food to Dryad and then to each of the others.

"This is good," was all Beak could mumble though mouthfuls of food.

"You were saying before about Pixie being Fae?" Dryad asked looking between their host and her friend.

"A pixie? Oh I forget about nick names you all have on your world. I wasn't sure but the more I'm around you I can see why your mother risked everything to hide you on your world, but makes no sense why she would then being you back here," Thison began mumbling to himself and sniffing towards Pixie.

"What are you talking about?" Pixie asked.

"Your mother, former queen now Mistress Eci, lives in exile on the island of Owsn for having traveled to your world more than once. Once to have relations with a human man and then it appears to have returned there again, but not to be with a human man again like everyone believes but to hide her unknown child, you Megan," Thison said as he kept his eyes on Pixie.

"Why would she hide her daughter?" Dryad asked.

"Because of what she is," Thison said with excitement.

"What exactly am I?" Pixie asked.

"You are one of the rarest of Fae. Most born like you are weak enough they hide it for there are those that would kill to get their hands on your kind, especially someone as strong as you. Never has there been born this powerful of a Rainbow Fae," Thison said as Pixie began to glow bright causing everyone to turn and stare at her.

**Next: Issue #57 – Fire Rising – Part Two & Secret Mutants: Fantasia – Part Two**


	58. Fire Rising Part Two

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #57 – Fire Rising – Part Two**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

_**Infirmary**_

"How's Spike & Dust?" Sunspot asked as he stepped up behind Dani Moonstar.

"Sooraya was lucky to turn to dust before she was completely drained and even luckier to be able to pull herself back together," Dani said as she stared at the two mutants lying on beds with a being made of strange energy standing between them, with a hand placed on each of their chests.

"With Healer dead, Elixir gone and that _Light_ girl from the future not sticking around we really need to find a healer for the school. Luckily Husk was able to shed her skin and become a form of energy that is slowly soothing and healing them," Skids said as she and Rusty both looked at the two laying on the beds.

"Until they wake we won't know what happened to them," Rusty added.

"Well, Blindfold and Preview are still unconscious from what ever psychic feedback they were hit with when they received their visions so looks like we are still in the dark," Rictor said as he came from where the Cuckoos were standing over the two girl's bedsides.

"We've searched the grounds and I picked up some familiar scents, so there were at least four figures out there," Wolfsbane said as she and Illyana stepped into the room.

"And your not going to like this, who ever was out there dug up alternate Earth Jean's body and stolen it," Illyana said as everyone looked to Dani in horror.

"I wish Bishop was here to handle security," Skids said as they all looked at Dani.

"I agree, I would like to know who shut down the parameter system and alarms and knocked Network out," Dani said as she felt there was a traitor within the school but had yet been able to figure it out.

"With Bishop out, do you want us to call Cable back in?" Rictor asked as Cable had just left to take Tosha Dayspring, X-23, Warpath, Risque, Cipher, Hope Summers and her fellow _Light_ Serenity to meet up with Domino and the rest of X-Force.

"No, they believe that if they act quickly, Blaquesmith, Shola and M can assist with Hope and Serenity to either reverse the effects of the techno-virus or even completely heal Cable," Dani said as Cable had to try since he truly didn't want to be a permanent Colossus look a like.

"With your permission, my nieces are able to connect the four in there and show us what happened out there," Christian Frost, the newest probationary member of the staff and school said as he approached the Headmistress and the rest of the staff.

"Wait a minute, I thought there was a no mind violation policy at this school?" Sunspot interjected.

"Well, we need answers," Wolfsbane said when a cough caused them all to turn.

"Hi, I hate to interrupt, but Layla told me to come here because you needed me," Suzy Grey, the mutant known as Sway said.

"I'm an idiot. I totally forgot about your secondary powers," Dani said in annoyance with herself and a relief that she had stopped from crossing a line.

_**Outside Grounds**_

"I still find it creepy that Scott had her body actually hidden over here," Illyana said as they stood were Jean Grey's grave had been dug up.

"He didn't want someone finding and using her body and he thought that someday there might be a why to resurrect her again," the Cuckoos said in unison as the group gathered.

Dani knew they needed complete answers and had devised a great plan, thanks to Layla who seemed to know who was needed. Dani asked her staff to join her except Lucinda, Rusty, Skids and Wolfsbane who would stay inside to keep an eye on the kids and Daken, since he and Fira had chosen to come back and remain at the mansion till after Storm's wedding and then would head back with Sunfire and Psylocke. Her four staff members here with her, Sunspot, One-Eighty, Illyana and Rictor would provide look out and protection incase of an attack. Of course Jamie had created a few dozen duplicates to position themselves around the area and if anything happened Jamie would be the first to know, hence why he was there with them along with his creepy girlfriend, Layla Miller. Strong Guy was made to stay inside to keep watch over teammate Spike.

Sway was there to use her powers reach out, pull together the energy left behind to recreate the scene of what had happened here. Sway wasn't that good with it and after the battle with the Celestia, she wasn't as strong with this aspect of her powers anymore. That was why Dani had Boost there to help boost her powers. The Cuckoos were there for two reasons, use their powers to mentally connect them all so they could clearly all see the scene play out and to connect them with Synch as well. Layla had away around the rule of invading minds. Synch would connect with Blindfold and copy her powers giving him the ability to see what she saw and by everyone linked, between Sway and Synch, they would have clear picture and sound of what happened here. There was one last person with them, Hub. In case of an emergency, she needed their Omega Level teleporter with them.

"Ready when you are," Dani said to the sister of Jean Grey.

Sway took a deep breath and called n her powers. It took a few minutes but thanks to Boost, the scene began to form and then with Synch and the Cuckoos they were all suddenly watching a movie play out. They all gasped as they saw Emma Frost, her sister Cordelia, Selene and the thought dead Madelyn Pryor gathered and taking the body out of the ground. If that didn't shock and frighten Dani, hearing them talk about their plans of what they were going to do did. They all then jumped when they saw Selene attack Dust and Spike and then all four escapes out of sight. Dani cringed as the one thing that wasn't being spoken out load yet, Emma confirming a traitor in the school.

"I always knew Emma couldn't be trusted and if she's evil then we all know who the traitor or should we say traitors are," Sunspot said as he glared at the Cuckoos and Christian Frost.

"Now, we," Dani began to say when suddenly the Cuckoos and Sway began to scream and then their eyes began to glow.

Before anyone could react, the past scene before them began to change and suddenly they all found themselves staring at a different scene. Some kind of ritual was going on, four women standing around a fire burning from a strange symbol on the floor. In the middle of the fire was a stone table with a body on it. They quickly recognized it as Emma and her new Hellfire Cult and the body was the alternate Earth Jena Grey. Dani's guess was that some how the link between the Frosts and Sway and the Red Queen had pulled them there. None of them could move. All they could do was watch what was unfolding before them.

"The ritual is almost complete. Now we must sacrifice one of the bloodline," Selene said as the fire began to swirl and close in on the body in the middle.

"How can we finish this? We don't have any of them here," Madelyn said looking at the other Queens.

"Oh yes we do, exact clone of Jean Grey and her bloodline," Emma said with a smile as she quickly moved and slashed her jagged diamond sharp arm across the Red Queen's throat causing blood to gush out.

"You," Madelyn tried to say with blood pouring from between her fingers as Emma threw the Red Queen onto the burning table holding the dead alternate Earth Jean Grey while Selene recited the final incantation of the ritual and spell.

Suddenly the entire table and two bodies were consumed in fire so bright no one could look directly into it. The three remaining Queens stepped back as the fire began to form and take shape at the top of the wall of fire. The shape clearly had a beak and large fiery wings unfolding and spreading out with great power. The fiery bird then looked up and then opened its beak and began to inhale with a quick steady stream of air that seemed to twist and fuse with a strange fiery strand of power that split and expanded out into seven different directions.

_**Outside of Phoenix, AZ**_

"Do you feel that?" Cable asked as he paused and looked behind him.

"Feel what?" Mimicry asked as she, Serenity, Tosha, Shatterstar and Warpath stood next to the portal doorway that lead them into a secret safe house where Blaquesmith and Domino waited with the rest of X-Force.

"I don't," Cable began to say when he grabbed his head in pain and started to scream.

"Dad!" Hope and Tosha both screamed as they saw a strange fiery strand from the sky implanted into the back of his head and quickly wrapping him in a strange fiery cocoon.

Tosha took a few steps as she suddenly grabbed her head in pain as well fell to the ground as she too was quickly wrapped into a cocoon.

_**Kenya, Africa**_

"Jean, thank you for being here," Ororo said as took her dear friend's hand as they stood off to the side watching other's enjoying the reception.

"It was a beautiful ceremony. No matter what, as long as you are happy, I wish you and Erik the best," Jean said as she suddenly felt a strange ping in the back of her head.

"Jean what's wrong?" Storm asked as her friend dropped to the ground after a fiery strand had attached to the back of her head.

Jean said nothing as the pain over took her and her sight faded as she found herself being wrapped up into a cocoon while Storm screamed for help.

_**Braddock Manor**_

"Brian, Brian, something is happening to Rachel," Meggan called to her husband as Rachel lay twitching on the floor, completely wrapped in a cocoon made of fire.

_**Xavier's School – Inside**_

"Hey, what are you two doing in, Oh My Goodness!" Lucinda Guthrie screamed as she opened Joey and Gailyn Bailey's door after seeing a strange glowing light and saw the brother and sister flopping on the floor with a strange fiery strand in the back of their head and starting to being wrapped.

_**Outside on the Grounds**_

"This is too," Sway started to say when she dropped to the ground in pain.

"Suzy, what's happening?" Dani asked as she saw one of the strange fiery strand attached to the back of Sway's head.

"We have bigger problems," Illyana said as they all turned to see the fiery bird in the image close its mouth causing every strand to severe and then turn and look right at Dani and her group.

Dani could swear the thing was looking at them like it knew of their presence. The bird of fire then opened its beak and let out a fire of power as it seemed to be coming right at them. Dani tried to move but it's as if the bird was burning deep into her mind and her very body. What ever that thing was it was coming right at them and it would consume them all. Dani closed her eyes as she awaited certain death when she saw Christian Frost run out in front of them all and held up his hand and pushed out with all his might and power. A flash of light went off as the bird screamed out in pain and suddenly pulled back causing all of them to fall to the ground and the images and scene they had been watching to vanish from sight leaving them all alone with a quickly hardening cocoon.

_**Unknown Location**_

"What just happened?" Blue Queen asked as the fiery bird and screamed in pain and flooded the whole room in light and fire.

"I'm not sure," Emma whispered as the light faded and where the fiery bird once was stood a lone woman with long flaming red hair wearing the Black Queen's outfit.

"Is that Jean or Madelyn?" Selene asked as the figure walked, slowly towards them.

"Neither, they are both gone. I am the Totem of the Phoenix," the being said with fire in her eyes.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Fantasia – Part Two**

"Rainbow Fae?" Pixie asked to no one in particular as she stood there in shock.

"What is a Rainbow Fae?" Beak asked.

"A Fae who has the ability to channel the magic of all four elements, Earth, Water, Air and Fire. Most Fae are born of one element or two but one is stronger over the other and that is how they are classed. You, it seems are a Rainbow Fae who can not only use all four but in any combination and with equal strong abilities in all four," Thison said just looking at the winged girl.

"Why would her mom try and hide her?" Dryad asked knowing what was on her speechless friend's mind.

"Because, in the wrong hands she could be used or her magic harvested to create a weapon of great power that would not only take over fantasia but break down the walls to other realms too," Thison explained as they all got the big picture.

"This is too much," Pixie said as she rubbed her temples.

"So now what?" Erg asked as he looked at everyone.

"We have to try and rescue the others from that creature that pulled them into the water," Dryad answered.

"No, you must stay here. You're friends are lost and as are anyone else. You must stay here until we find a way to get you back to your world," Thison urged.

"No, I must go find my friends," Pixie said as she and her team headed for the door.

"I can't let you leave," Thison said as he stood up and with a wave of his hand the door seemed to blend into the walls and was gone.

_**High Atop the Mountains of Fantasia **_

"Xi'an, you have to snap out of it," Hellion said as he stood shivering inside the cave he had dragged his leader into.

Hellion still wasn't sure what happened, all he knew was the dimension they were in was about to explode with all of them in it and Pixie was trying to save them. Pixie had reached out with her power at the same time as the place exploded trying to save everyone but would fall short. So far, Hellion didn't know the fate of who had made it or not except three, himself, Xi'an and the one called Face. At first he didn't know if anyone had when he first woke up in this strange land. All he knew was he was laying on the ledge of a mountain high up in the air.

He had sat up on that ledge and, almost falling off, looked down and saw a tall grassy meadow off in the distance and beyond that it was hard to tell as it was dark and blurry. To the East he saw what looked like heavy forest land and to the West was a large body of water that had a strange color to it too. The mountains he was on were a very dark yellow color at the bottom and got lighter the higher they went up till they almost looked translucent before vanishing into the clouds with no snow anywhere. He wasn't quite sure if there was any on the very top of the highest peaks because they were covered in thick clouds. If it wasn't for him being able to see off in the distance he wouldn't have even known there was a sky the color or purple.

He didn't know if there was any life here until he heard a scream. He ran back along a path higher up the mountain until he saw these strange orange furred bear-like animals with two hind legs and four front legs all with very long and sharp claws. There were five of them all circling Karma. Karma was screaming and crying but making no move to protect herself. She sat in the middle rocking in hysterics. Hellion quickly used his powers and grabbed Karma and thanks to his telekinesis took them both higher up the mountain. He was about to ask her what was wrong with her when it began to snow and then blizzard.

Hellion was thankful their outfits where designed to help protect them in the elements or they would have probably frozen instantly. Despite the blizzard conditions, there was no snow accumulating anywhere. It was as if the wind was blowing with great force to move the show off and away from the mountains. Even with the suits insulation, if they didn't seek shelter they would still freeze out here. He looked down and knew those creatures lay somewhere that way and when he looked towards the path leading to where the mountains vanished into the clouds he saw some kind or beings made of wind, almost like a living mini tornado, moving down towards them. He looked all around and then saw a cave hidden off to the side. Hellion to them both into there and then used his powers to pull ground and rock up to close the entrance to hide them but allow enough light for them to see.

Once he had sat Xi'an down upon the ground she started crying about someone being killed. After many attempts and what seemed like hours, Xi'an had said it was Face who had died. Through their mental connection, she had felt him being consumed in the explosion as she was rescued by Pixie's spell and orb. Normally he figured someone like Xi'an would be stronger and better to cope, but because of the mental connection, she felt Face die in every sense of the term. It was as if she had been the one being consumed in the explosion and dying.

"She will, but her mind will have to be healed," a voice said form behind Hellion.

"Who's there?" Julian asked as he looked to see a figure approaching carrying a staff with a globe on the top emitting a bright fiery light.

"Never fear, you may call me friend," the old man said as he stopped and sat upon a rock.

Hellion looked the man up and down. He wore a white robe with hues of blue in it. The man's hair and beard were silver with very small traces of black in it. He could see that the man had pointed years and blue eyes. His skin was white but it almost looked like it had an odd ruff texture to it and if you looked real close it almost had a slight blue hue in it. The man sat there and didn't say anything else. He just smiled and stared at Julian.

"I will not ask again, who are you?" Julian said as he started to call upon his powers.

"Oh, a bit unfriendly, I see. Have a seat," the old man said as his skin seemed to turn more blue and scaly as his eyes glowed and a gust of wind sent him to his backside.

"Okay, what are you?" Hellion asked as he glanced at Xi'an who remained oblivious to the stranger and prepared to attack.

"Stop, I am not here to hurt you or your friend. I am the last of my kind. I am a Huelgon, but you may call me Olstar," the old man said with a smile.

"A Hu-el what?" Hellion asked as he stared at the stranger.

"Hu-el-gon, part human, part elf and part dragon. My grandmother had somehow come here to Fantasia and fell in love with a dragon in disguise as a human. It was a common problem here in fantasia of dragons breeding with humans or Fae and one of the reasons that lead to the extinction of dragons. Anyway, my father was born to them and before he was found out and executed he had managed to put an elf with child and no one knew my mother was pregnant with me and I was kept hidden for most of my child hood and since then kept my lineage quiet as to not be executed on site by the Fae," Olstar explained.

"So you were hiding in this cave all your life?" Hellion asked.

"Oh, no. I like to come here for quiet. The Queen of the Air Fae, her daughter Princess Dniw is the only one that knows who I truly am and she keeps my secret and I keep her safe," Olstar said as he got up.

"Where are you going?" Hellion asked as the old man began to walk back where he came.

"Up to the cloud city of Ndwi where we can get your friend help. So grab her and let's go," Olstar said as Hellion used his powers, lifted Xi'an and followed after.

_**Southern Fantasia**_

"Where are you taking me?" Callisto demanded as these strange lava rock creatures ushered her forward.

Callisto didn't know where she was or what was happening. One minute she was in that pocket dimension being pulled away by a glowing orb as she whipped out her right tentacle to grab Razora the next her hold on Yvette was severed as the explosion took Yvette while the orb took Callisto and she woke up here. Callisto didn't know if she was creaming but then realized the dark and foggy haze was that of the place she had been transported to. She sighed as she had looked down at her cut up tentacle that held Razora's severed hand. It wasn't long after this that she was suddenly surrounded by lava creatures, overpowered and now being drug somewhere captive.

"Quiet, soon we offer you to our fire god," one of the creatures said.

"Oh heck no. I will not be something's food," Callisto said as she tried to get free from her bonds.

"Enough! What is this?" A voice boomed as they all stopped and looked up to see a fiery being standing upon a throne made of lava rock on the side of a mini volcano.

"We bring you an offering," another of the creatures proclaim as they all go to one knee.

"I am no, what the?" Callisto suddenly gasped as she saw that the god on the throne was the Mutant known as Match, covered in lava rock and almost looked like the human torch.

"Then bring her to me, so commands your god!" Match commanded as fire flared around him and the creatures dragged her towards him.

**Next: Issue #58 – Fire Rising – Part Three & Secret Mutants: Fantasia – Part Three**


	59. Fire Rising Part Three

**Mutant Generation Force**

**Issue #58 – Fire Rising – Part Three**

_**Xavier's School for Gifted Students**_

_**Outside on the Grounds**_

"He's still alive," Dani said as she knelt down next to Christian Frost as he lay unconscious on the ground.

"What just happened?" Sunspot asked as he looked from the two to the spot where a large fiery red cocoon, that had been Sway, laid.

"The Phoenix Force was trying to resurrect itself by attaching to every Grey bloodline to transform them into pure power and absorb it," Mindee said.

"Our uncle severed that connection when he used his powers to force its own powers back on itself," Phoebe added.

"The Phoenix burned itself and resurrected as purely mortal now in fusing both the body once belonging to Alternate Earth Jean Grey and Madelyn Pryor into one body that it now calls its own," Celeste finished.

"How did this happen?" Illyana asked.

"What we told you was all we gathered from the connection before it was completely severed. Only other thing we know was it was all part of a ritual to revive the power of the Totem which was in conjunction with our mother's old plan to find the body of Jean and harness the power of the Phoenix," all three triplets said at once.

"So, you are the traitors, I should have known the apples don't fall far from the tree," Rictor said staring at the three.

"No, we just learned that from her mind as well as whom the traitor was," the girls said looking at a very nervous Sunspot.

"Wait, guys," Sunspot began to shake.

"I got him," Madrox said as began to multiply to surround the mutant that had just gone solar.

"Roberto, how could you?" Dani asked looking at him and then over at the cocoon.

"I," Robert said holding his head.

"I'll kill him," Illyana said as she turned into her energy form.

"Stop, all of you. It isn't his fault," Layla Miller said causing everyone to turn and look at her.

"She right, he was under our mother's control. She used his connection to the Hellfire Club to take control of his mind and make him do her bidding thinking he was still the Black King. Her hold is now gone thanks to us," the Cuckoos said as one.

"How can we believe them?" Rictor asked.

"Because you can," Dani said as she looked at Layla who just smiled and nodded.

"Okay, the girl who knows, tell us what they are doing and what happened to Sway," Synch demanded as he stood over the cocoon, "I can't even tap into it."

"She's alive in there but that is as far as we can read. It is blocking our minds," Celeste said.

"Well?" Dani asked as they stared at Layla.

"All I can tell you is that the Hellfire Cult, those women that kidnapped Jean, was responsible for resurrecting the Totem of the Phoenix, and with it resurrecting and bringing back all the Totems," Layla said.

"So then she needs the body of a Bloodline to get the Totem back?" Dani asked trying to understand but got nothing more from Layla.

"What about this?" Synch brought everyone's attention back to cocoon Sway.

"This was an accident. What I picked up was the Phoenix trying to convert them but when I severed it, it left them stuck in the cocoons. The impression I got was that they live, but they are being transformed and will break free and will rise from the fire reborn, to what degree is unknown. Could be minor or a whole new person," Christian managed to say as he had woken up and looked around.

"Dani, you must come, I just found Joey and Gailyn trapped in some kind of cocoon," Lucinda said over the Comm unit, her voice in hysterics.

"If these three are cocooned then we can assume the others are as well," Illyana said as she kept a glaring eye on Sunspot.

"Let's get Sway to the infirmary and then we can figure out what we do next and how to deal with everything that's just happened," Dani said as she couldn't bring herself to look at Roberto.

_**Secret Safe House **_

"What the hell?" Domino asked as the last of X-Force came into the portal, Warpath and Mimicry carrying two large fiery red cocoons.

"Where are Cable and Tosha?" Tabitha, the mutant called Meltdown asked once the portal closed.

"They are inside these things," Warpath said as they all gathered around the two cocoons.

"Who did this?" Domino demanded.

"I don't know. They both grabbed their heads in pain and were suddenly wrapped in those things," Mimicry said as she worried for her adoptive father.

"They are alive but I can't get anything else," M said as she concentrated.

"I agree but I also sense like something is happening to them inside," Blaquesmith said as he looked to everyone.

"Allow me, tick, tick, boom," Meltdown said as she tossed an energy ball on each causing an explosion.

"Tabitha, are you crazy?" Irene asked as they all saw the cocoons unharmed.

"Nothing, maybe I should," Shatterstar said as he raised his swords but then froze.

One of the cocoons began to shake and crack. Everyone shaded their eyes as it split open and fire erupted from it. The fire began to fade as a figure rose from the flames and stepped out of the broken cocoon. Hope Summers gasped as she saw it was her dad but he'd changed. He looked to be at least ten to twenty years younger. His hair was no longer white but looked as if it was on the verge of turning grey. He was still very large and muscular but there was one last very distinctive change, he was all flash. He was no longer covered in silver organic metal.

"Nathan?" Domino asked staring.

"What?" Nathan asked as if nothing had changed.

"There is no sign of the virus in him what so ever. He is not only younger but he is very healthy," Blaquesmith said holding up a scanner.

"How are you felling?" Hope asked looking at him.

"I'm fine, how did this happen?" Cable suddenly asked as he looked down and saw his flesh covered hands.

"You and Tosha dropped in pain and were encased in cocoons by means unknown to us and you broke out like this," Warpath explained.

"What about Tosha?" Cable suddenly said as he turned and saw the other cocoon still sealed, reached out for it and watched as it was pushed across the room with great force causing it to hit the wall.

"Looks like it's not only the body he's got back," M said to Meltdown as everyone watched Cable go over to the cocoon and kneel down next to it.

_**Kenya, Africa**_

"Storm, this is terrible," Dani said over the video monitor after Storm had called her and told her about Jean Grey.

"I know, I just talked to Brian and Rachel is in the same state so we have to assume Cable and Tosha were affected as well," Storm said back.

"I don't know what to do and you're supposed to be on your honeymoon," Dani said as she realized Storm calling from Africa.

"Don't fret girl, we weren't planning on leaving right away anyways. I was just going over things with Jean and my grandma on taking care of little N'dare when it struck her. Only people still here with me and Erik are Magma, who was wanting to join babysitting duty with nana and Jean, Amelia and Jerrod who were planning on leaving back your way today after Erik got to visit a little more with his son," Storm was explaining.

"What about Sam?" Dani said before she could stop herself.

"Sam, Teresa, Jubilee, Bishop and Shard are still here. They were waiting for Jerrod and Amelia so all could go back together," Storm said going quiet as she knew just as Dani did why Sam and Teresa wanted to stay an extra day, to enjoy the beautiful place, together.

"How about the others?" Dani asked changing the subject fast.

"Wanda left right after the ceremony with her group as some emergency came up with Salem-X in the Bermuda Triangle. _****See current issues of Salem-X****_ Quicksilver and them headed back just as fast, but at least they were here, it's a start. Sunfire and & Psylocke just left after Brian had called her and told her about Rachel," Storm answered.

"Well, I'm," Dani started to say when what sounded like a huge explosion had gone off and then the video chat went dead.

"Dani?" Storm sat up in panic as she jumped up from her chair and turned when she heard commotion outside.

"Storm, were under attack," Erik ran in screaming when suddenly an unseen force yanked him back out of sight

_**Epilogue**_

_**Unknown Location**_

"Are you watching this?" Cordelia asked as watched the screen showing the satellite image of the Xavier school as dozens of strange objects had opened fire on the school and began blowing it to pieces.

"This isn't good," Emma said as she watched the school burn.

"I thought you didn't care about them," Selene chimed in.

"She doesn't, we just need certain ones to survive if I am to resurrect the rest of my fellow Totems," Phoenix, the new Red Queen said as she watched the fire rise, in her body and on the screen.

* * *

_**The Secret Mutants**_

**Fantasia – Part Three**

_**Southern Fantasia**_

"What is going on?" Callisto demanded as she was thrown down in front of the flaming headed mutant.

"Leave me!" Match commanded as the lava creatures seemed to melt away leaving the two alone.

"My patience is growing thin," Callisto growled.

"Hey, calm down or you'll endanger both of us," Match said as he focused his powers allowing Callisto's cuffs binding her hands to burst into fire and set her free.

"Thanks," Callisto said with no real meaning as her tentacles whipped around enjoying the freedom.

"Is there any other's with you?" Match asked.

"I haven't seen anyone. I know Razora didn't make it," Callisto said as she recounted her final moments.

"As I got pulled I saw Erg, Electric Eve, Mercury and Rockslide all standing near each other. An orb was taking Erg and it seemed something weird was happening to the other three. Then I saw Surge moving real fast towards them and her electricity was reaching out to Electric Eve but I never saw what happened to any of them or if any of them made it," Match said with a sigh.

"So you landed here by yourself?" Callisto asked.

"Yes, and these creatures came at me and I thought I was a goner until my head went up in flames and they all started bowing. Turns out these outcasts were looking for a leader, a place to belong," Match said.

"What is this place?" Callisto asked.

"From what I gather, we are in Fantasia the land of Fairies or something. This place here is called Amefl, the home of the Fire Fae. It is ruled by Queen Erif and the palace is way south of here. The lava creatures and many outcasts live around here and are not allowed anywhere near Mount Volcana, her Queen's fortress," Match said.

"How do you know all this?" Callisto asked.

"From my new best friend, Prince Aval," Match said as Callisto turned to see a young teenaged boy with red skin that looked rocky, almost like a scrawny Thing with short black hair with brown highlights and lime green eyes wearing cloth like shorts.

"Hi, you can call me Aval since I'm not a Prince any more," Aval said as he waved his hand.

"What, your own mom cast you out?" Callisto asked with a chuckle.

"Actually, she did," Aval said looking down.

"You don't have to," Match began but stopped when Aval raised his hand and smiled.

"No its okay, Ben. My mom had a fling with an Earth Fae, which is forbidden in our part of the country. Anyway, I was then born and from the start it was obvious I was a result of that fling. I had red skin but was born with a rocky texture and my hair had both colors of Earth and Fire Fae and my eyes were the mixed color of both. My mom thought she could cover it up until I got a little older and came into my gifts but there I disappointed her again.

"I could not access the abilities of the Fire Fae. I couldn't even make a swig spark. So, to save her status as Queen and not let her fling with the Earth Fae get out, she covered up my existence and abandoned me to the outer lands. She assumed being so young I wouldn't survive, but the lava creatures found me and took me in as one of their own and raised me and I've lived out here ever since," Aval said.

"And you never once thought to go back and out your mother or get revenge?" Callisto asked.

"No, I would be executed upon site," Aval said.

"But, despite not being able to have full Fire Fae abilities or Earth abilities he isn't defenseless. His body is resistant to any kind of heat, fire or hot substance as well as durable and resistant to physical impact. But the coolest thing is that he can revert fire to Earth and vise versa," Match said with excitement.

"I thought you couldn't use fire?" Callisto asked with a raised eye.

"I can't, but I can drain the fire hardening it or infuse heat from myself into rock making it burn. If I was true Fire Fae, I could call upon, command and control fire instantly and with ease," Aval said as Callisto nodded.

"Nice, glad I asked. Now, how do we find the others and get out of this place?" Callisto asked as she looked around.

"Leave? Here I'm a god," Match said as he really liked the feeling of being on top.

"Well, what do we have here?" A voice asked as they turned to see a woman with red skin and long black hair, wearing a crown with an army of warriors all sitting atop horses made of fire.

"Oh, no, its my mom," Aval whispered to his two new friends as the woman made eye contact and eyes went wide with fear and anger when she realized who he was.

"Kill them all!" Queen Erif shouted as they charged.

"I," Match began to say when two things happened at once.

First, dozens of lava creatures rose up and charged the Queen and her warriors slowing them down. The last, a strange portal opened up and a glowing beam of rainbow light come out, grabbed Callisto and Match and yanked them inside. Aval stared at the portal and then back at his mother, who had murder in her eyes and back again. It took but a second to make his decision as he leapt into the portal seconds before it closed.

_**High Atop the Mountains of Fantasia **_

"Am I in Heaven?" Xi'an asked as she woke up and saw the clouds and figures flying around in white with what looked like wings on their backs.

"No, you are in the sky city of Ndwi. Home of the Air Fae," a gentle voice said bringing Xi'an's focus back down and to the woman in front of her.

Xi'an almost lost her ability to breath. The girl had light blue skin and looked as soft as a cloud. Her hair was a yellow blond that hung down past her shoulders, barely covering her pointed ears. Her eyes were two different colors, one blue and one white. Unlike the others around her, she had no wings on her back. The girl just kept staring at her and to be honest, she didn't mind.

"I'm where?" Xi'an asked again as she looked over and saw Hellion visiting with an old man in a white with blue hue robe and had white skin.

"That's Olstar, he's like a grandfather to me. He and your friend brought you here to rest and heal. My name's Dniw, my mom is Ria, Queen of the Air Fae," Princess Dniw said with a smile.

"You're a Princess?" Xi'an asked returning the smile.

"Yes, but I won't be next to be queen, it will go to my younger sister since I was born without wings and I refuse to bond with any of the male Fae," Princess Dniw said with a nervous edge in her voice.

"I see," Xi'an said as she couldn't quit smiling for the first time since she lost Luna.

"Looks like she's doing better," Hellion said as he glanced over at Xi'an.

"Well, the Princess has a calming air about her. It's great to see her smile, doesn't happen much," Olstar said.

"Why, what's her story?" Hellion asked as he couldn't get past the fact that this beautiful woman was single.

"She was born without wings. Despite that fact she is strong enough in her gift that she can still take to the air, it is a huge disgrace. And if that wasn't enough, the fact she refuses to take a suitor it has left her mother, the Queen, to put all her efforts in prepping her younger sister to be Queen. Her mother won't even talk to her and I fear once her younger sister get older, takes a mate and provides an heir, poor Dniw will be completely cast aside," Olstar said with a heavy sigh.

"Olstar, help," Princess Dniw called out as the two turned to see a portal opening up and Xi'an being pulled through by a rainbow beam and a second hitting Julian and pulling him in as well.

"What's going on?" Queen Ria came charging in to see a portal starting to close as her daughter stood screaming near it.

"An opportunity to finally spread wings and fly," Olstar said as he called on his power and a burst of air seemed to come out of nowhere, hit Dniw and send her into the portal right before it closed.

_**The Home of Thison**_

"You can't do this," Pixie said as she, Erg, Beak and Dryad stood to face the friendly host who had now trapped them in his home.

"Sorry, but my master, Lord Dnuorg will reward me greatly if I turn a Rainbow Fae over to him allowing him to win favor or even take the kingdom of the Earth Fae from Queen Htrae," Thison said with an evil chuckle.

"What about our friends?" Dryad asked thinking of the others that might be out there.

"It doesn't matter, any of your friends, if they are out there are long dead by now," the Faun said to them as he wiggled his fingers and the earth rose up and began to encase each of them.

"How?" Pixie asked as they all struggled to break free.

"Sorry, I lied. There is no neutral land. My home actually sits on the boarders of the Earth Fae Kingdom and soon my master will be here to claim you, Rainbow Fae," Thison laughed.

"I must," Pixie tried struggling as she saw all her friends were completely encased and she was moments away from the same happening to her.

_Daughter, _a voice said in her head.

"Mom?" Pixie asked out loud.

"Your mom can't help you. She is imprisoned by Queen Retaw and will soon be executed herself," Thison said to her just as her head was almost swallowed up.

_Daughter, take the rest of my power, use it with yours, _Eci said to her daughter.

"I can't," Pixie said as her head was now surrounded by earth.

_Do it! _Her mother shouted in her head as suddenly power flowed into her.

"Take me and all my friends out of here!" Pixie screamed as suddenly magic exploded from her.

Thison covered his eyes as a rainbow light blew the earth away from Pixie and she hovered in the air. Suddenly her magic reached up and touch the air and a strange portal opened up. In the portal they saw a strange old African American man sitting cross-legged and twirling something above his head. The old man looked right at Pixie and she swore she heard him say she was needed right before she was yanked into the portal. Just before Pixie vanished into the portal, several beams of rainbow light shot out of her body, three hit her friends breaking them free of the earth, dragging them in after her while the others beams broke free from Thison's house and quickly spread out all over the rest of Fantasia.

_**Epilogue**_

Gateway sat swinging his arm opening a portal with his powers hoping he wouldn't be too late to save the others. Soon he spotted the help he needed and with the merging of his powers with her magic he pulled her and her team through. The portal closed and Gateway stood up once Xi'an, Pixie and the others were all standing before him. Before any of them could speak, Gateway pointed down the hill at the battle scene below and the Secret Mutants raced into action.

**Next: Issue #59 – Acts of Doom – Part Six & Secret Mutants: Acts of Doom – Part Seven**

*****But first check out next month's Acts of Doom Issue #1 for Part One for the crossover event that runs through all my tittles. *****


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